Legit Reviews News History
Corsair Announces 2133Mhz DDR3 Memory Kits - World's Fastest Kit
Corsair just announced the immediate availability of a new DOMINATOR DDR3 memory kit running at 2133MHz. The launch of this memory kit, the TW3X2G2133C9DF, makes it the world’s fastest DDR3 memory solution in production volume. The new DOMINATOR TW3X2G2133C9DF kit is now available in stock for $575 at select Corsair retailers.
The TW3X2G2133C9DF DOMINATOR modules represent the very best of Corsair’s cutting edge technology in DDR3 overclocking and gaming memory. Ultra fast, selected DRAM chips are housed in Corsair’s proprietary Dual-Path Heat Xchange Cooling Technology (DHX) -used in Dell, HP and Alienware gaming systems- for striking speed and performance. The new DOMINATOR TW3X2G2133C9DF memory kit unleashes the high performance potential of NVIDIA 790i-based platforms.
Posted by | Thu, Jul 24, 2008 - 04:08 PM
Intel brings forward Nehalem processor launch
Originally scheduled to launch in November or December this year, Intel's Nehalem-based Bloomfield processors will now launch in September along with X58 chipsets, sources at motherboard makers have revealed. However, the sources pointed out that CPUs and motherboards will not officially appear in the channel until early October.
Since Bloomfield CPUs are not socket compatible with previous Intel platforms, the accelerated launch is not expected to cause competition between the company's own products, although the same cannot be said for AMD's scheduled AM3-based CPU launch, noted the sources.
Posted by | Thu, Jul 24, 2008 - 08:32 AM
July 24 News from Around the Web
Find reviews from around the web by visiting our forums! The following exerpt is from TweakTown's ZOTAC 9600 GSO 384MB Graphics Card Review:
"The 9600 GSO has been out for a while now, but we haven’t really seen many of them around. The first one we saw was from Palit and carried with it a large 768MB of memory with quite a hefty overclock to boot. At the same time, it did have some issues in our test bed. While we loved the card, we probably didn’t really get to have as close a look as we normally would. We all know that the 9600 GSO is nothing more than an 8800 GS with a new name, but how does the card sit in the current market? Is it something worth considering or should we just opt for the slightly more expensive 9600GT?"
Posted by | Thu, Jul 24, 2008 - 07:33 AM
Nintendo faces ban on Wii Classic Controller
Nintendo is facing a ban on U.S. sales of some controllers for its Wii and GameCube systems after it lost a bid to overturn a $21 million patent-infringement verdict.
U.S. District Judge Ron Clark in Lufkin, Texas, rejected Nintendo's request for a new trial in the case won by closely held Anascape of Tyler, Texas. He said he would stop sales of the Wii Classic Controller, WaveBird controller and Nintendo GameCube controller. The judges's ban is on hold while Nintendo appeals the verdict to the U.S. Court of Appeals, according to Anascape lawyer Doug Cawley.
Posted by | Wed, Jul 23, 2008 - 08:30 AM
New York state passes video game labeling law
Video games sold in New York state must clearly label ratings for violent content under a law signed on Tuesday, which rights groups criticized as likely unconstitutional. The New York Civil Liberties Union said that it planned to mount a legal challenge against the law, signed on Tuesday by New York Gov. David Paterson, as it raised free speech concerns.
The new law says that is it compulsory for games that are already rated to be labeled and also requires that new video game consoles are installed with parent-controlled lockout features by 2010. "This legislation will provide information and educate consumers to help them make better choices for their children," said state Sen. Andrew Lanza, a bill sponsor.
Posted by | Wed, Jul 23, 2008 - 08:28 AM
Attack code imminent for DNS flaw after details leaked
One day after a security company accidentally posted details of a serious flaw in the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS), hackers are saying that software that exploits this flaw is sure to pop up soon. The author of one widely used hacking tool said he expected to have an exploit by the end of the day Tuesday. Be sure to patch up your systems right now as things might get bumpy.
Several hackers are almost certainly already developing attack code for the bug, and it will most likely crop up within the next few days, said Dave Aitel, chief technology officer at security vendor Immunity. His company will eventually develop sample code for its Canvas security testing software too, a task he expects to take about a day, given the simplicity of the attack. "It's not that hard," he said. "You're not looking at a DNA-cracking effort."
Posted by | Wed, Jul 23, 2008 - 08:27 AM
MSI has chance to make netbook for LG
Korea-based LG Electronics is planning to launch its Atom-based netbook in October this year and since most of the company's notebooks were manufactured by Micro-Star International (MSI), the netbook is also expected to be manufactured by the Taiwan maker, according to sources.
LG's first netbook (X110) will feature an 8.9-inch panel, 2GB memory and 120GB hard drive. The netbook will adopt Windows XP, while the company has not yet decided whether to adopt Linux operating system. The price of the netbook will be set around NT$19,000-24,000 (US$625.5-790.11). The sources expect LG's netbook will also focus on its industry design and material quality instead of price, like the company's notebook product line, while the netbook will be targeted to markets including Europe and North America.
Posted by | Wed, Jul 23, 2008 - 08:25 AM
Western Digital Announces 2.5-inch WD VelociRaptor Hard Drive for Enterprise Users
Western Digital announced today the WD VelociRaptor 10,000 RPM enterprise SATA hard drives in an enterprise-class 2.5-inch form factor for blade servers and 1U and 2U rack servers. The newest WD VelociRaptor hard drive is built for business-critical applications with enterprise-class mechanics and packs up to 300 GB of capacity into the enterprise small form factor bays, while consuming 35 percent less power than the previous-generation WD Raptor drive. I reviewed the VelociRaptor back in April and found it to be a great drive, so be sure to check out the review if you haven't already.
“WD is bringing to enterprise customers what PC enthusiasts already appreciate about the WD VelociRaptor: a combination of high performance and high capacity for hard drive storage,” said John Rydning, IDC's research director for hard disk drives. “WD's new WD VelociRaptor, designed specifically for the enterprise in an energy efficient 2.5-inch form factor, gives system OEMs and end users a new storage option to consider to meet growing storage requirements.”
Posted by | Wed, Jul 23, 2008 - 08:18 AM
July 22 News from Around the Web
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Review @ OCC and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!
"Overclocking each processor is different. With five identical processors you will get five different results. With this Q9300, 456x7.5 was the point at which it was prime95 stable. It would run benchmarks at up to 470x7.5 but was nowhere near stable. Above 456 FSB, the amount of voltage to keep the chip running was significantly more than what other 45nm processors I have tested have taken at similar FSB and raw clock speeds. At 1.55 volts there was no point trying to even push further. The good news is that the CPU would do almost 450 FSB on the stock 1.215 volts. I left the volts at 1.34v during my testing just as a safeguard but have since lowered this to 1.31v at 456 FSB. Pretty low volts for the clock speeds I was able to pull from the little brother of the QX9770. Having a motherboard that will allow high front side bus speeds with a quad core processor is essential with the Q9300 CPU. Raw clock speed is limited because of the low 7.5 clock multiplier. In order to reach 3.6GHz you would need to hit 480FSB, something not all quad core CPUs will do, some, but not all."
Posted by | Tue, Jul 22, 2008 - 04:28 PM
OCZ Launches Fatal1ty Brand DDR2 and DDR3 Memory Kits
OCZ Technology has announced the first memory modules available in their Fatal1ty Series after the partnership was announced last month. These high-performance memory kits were co-developed with the expertise of Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, 12-time World champion, to meet the specific needs of fellow gamers. OCZ Fatal1ty Professional Series kits are the official memory modules of Championship Gaming Series (CGS), and feature incredible performance to power through the latest PC titles and contribute to the success of professionals and everyday gamers.
“OCZ worked closely with Fatal1ty and his team to design new memory kits that pair perfectly with the top selling motherboards for a superior gaming experience,” commented Alex Mei, Chief Marketing Officer of the OCZ Technology Group. “Fatal1ty knows what it takes to win at the highest level of eSports, and these new kits deliver superior stability and performance to gamers whether you are a professional player on the Championship Gaming Series, or a weekend warrior looking to dominate when playing the latest titles.”
Posted by | Tue, Jul 22, 2008 - 09:11 AM
Lancool Announces K12 Midi-Tower Chassis
Lancool must be launching a dozen new cases as it seems I get a press release from them at least twice a week. This time around they have announced the K12 Midi-Tower Chassis. We asked Lancool when these would be available and they informed us that they would start shipping them from Taiwan at the end of July. When it comes to pricing the MSRP is $160, so start saving now if you want one in the coming weeks.
This is a Midi-Tower case with 9x 5.25” bays giving you plenty of options and tonnes of room. The strength of the Lancool series lies not only in the structure, but also in the features, which include support for the modular patented anti-vibration HDD cage, supporting 3x HDD’s. Each HDD is mounted with a special thumbscrew and rubber grommet to ensure that HDD’s are secure and vibration free. The modular cage can be secured as you see fit within the roomy interior of the case. It has a120mm fan mounted into the bracket, making sure that the HDD’s are cooled and that air flow is optimal according to your needs. Incorporating outstanding quality and craftsmanship; the Lancool series have a steel inner-core, making them stronger than all-aluminum chassis, but also considerably cheaper.
Posted by | Tue, Jul 22, 2008 - 08:17 AM
ATI Releases Catalyst 8.7 Video Card Drivers for Download
Any and all ATI graphics cards owners should take note that a new driver dropped late yesterday from the crew over at AMD. The latest driver is Catalyst 8.7 and there is a version for both Windows and Linux users that has a good number of fixes and improvements as well as some CCC enhancements. This version does include ATI's Folding@Home information, so if you are folding be sure to check it out and be sure to support Team #38296, which is the Legit Reviews Folding team!
The following performance gains are noticed with this release of Catalyst:
- 3DMark Vantage: Performance increases of up to 20% is noticed in the Performance Preset on single card configured systems when using ATI Radeon™ HD 36xx or ATI Radeon HD 34xx products
- Company of Heroes DX10: Performance increases of 3% to 12% is noticed in specific maps on single card configured systems when using either an ATI Radeon HD 48xx, ATI Radeon HD 38xx, or an ATI Radeon HD 36xx product
- Lost Planet DX10: Performance increases of 4% to 15% is noticed in specific maps on single card configured systems when using either an ATI Radeon HD 48xx, ATI Radeon HD 38xx, or an ATI Radeon HD 36xx product
Lost Planet DX9: CrossFire scaling improves up to 1.7x and performance increases up to 80% across all Radeon products when AA and AF is enabled
Posted by | Tue, Jul 22, 2008 - 08:11 AM
Super Talent MasterDrive SSD Gets a Performance Boost Via Firmware
Super Talent Technology recently announced that the company has dramatically improved the write speeds of its MasterDrive DX, MasterDrive KX and MasterDrive MX solid state drives (SSDs) thanks to a minor firmware update. These three series of SSDs already boast exceptionally fast read speeds of up to 120 MB/sec. But, fast write speeds are important in applications such as video editing and encoding, image processing, compressing and extracting files, installing applications and copying files to the drive. These newly revised SSDs categorically outpace the fastest hard drives in the world.
“Our expert engineering team is constantly discovering new ways to improve our products, and this is one improvement that will be well received by power laptop users”, commented Super Talent Director of Marketing, Joe James. “We continue our relentless drive to add performance, features and value to our SSDs while driving the price down”, Mr. James added.
Posted by | Tue, Jul 22, 2008 - 08:04 AM
Yahoo gives Icahn seats on board to avert control battle
Yahoo announced today it has reached an agreement with activist investor Carl Icahn that will settle their battle over control of the Sunnyvale-based Internet giant. The agreement will place Icahn on Yahoo's Board of Directors, and two other seats will be filled based on a list of nine candidates recommended by Icahn. Eight members of Yahoo's current Board of Directors, including Chief Executive Jerry Yang and Chairman Roy Bostock, will stand for re-election at the annual shareholder's meeting Aug. 1.
As part of the agreement, Robert Kotick will not stand for re-election at the annual meeting. The moves expands Yahoo's Board of Directors from nine to 11 members. Yahoo shares fell nearly 2 percent to $22.02 in premarket trading from a $22.45 close Friday. Shares of Microsoft Corp., Yahoo's spurned suitor, rose 14 cents to $26 from a $25.86 close Friday. As part of the settlement agreement, Icahn, who owns an aggregate of 68,786,320 shares, or 4.98 percent of Yahoo common stock, has agreed to withdraw his nominees for consideration at the annual meeting and to vote his Yahoo shares in support of the Board's nominees.
Posted by | Mon, Jul 21, 2008 - 12:54 PM
Intel cuts desktop processor prices by up to 31 percent
Intel has cut processor prices up to 31 percent, though overall cuts are limited in number and degree. The desktop Core 2 Duo E8500 (3.16GHz) got the largest cut, from $266 to $183 (31 percent) on the new pricing list, dated July 20. The next biggest price reduction was the desktop Core 2 Duo E7200 (2.53GHz), reduced 15 percent, from $133 to $113.
Other price cuts include the popular quad-core Q6600 (2.4GHz). It drops 14 percent, from $224 to $193. The desktop Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.00GHz) falls 11 percent, from $183 to $163. Xeon server processors also saw price cuts. The X3220 (2.40GHz) was cut 12 percent, from $224 to $198. The X3210 (2.13GHz) saw an identical cut, while the E3110 (3.00GHz) was reduced 11 percent, from $188 to $167. The pricing for QX "Extreme" processors, such as the QX9775 (3.2GHz, $1,499), remains unchanged from the pricing list published on July 15, when the Centrino 2 mobile processors were introduced.
Posted by | Mon, Jul 21, 2008 - 10:08 AM
July 21 News from Around the Web
Find reviews from around the web by visiting our forums! The following exerpt is from motherboards.org's ECS GF8200A Black Motherboard Review.
For the budget-minded consumer, the ECS GF8200A is a pretty good deal. For $70 USD, the board has the features to build a good gaming PC or a HTPC with the integrated graphics with the caveat that there is no digital audio output and DVI port. The benefit of having DirectX 10 integrated graphics include: PureVideo HD playback of Blu-Ray discs and the ability to use the Aero UI in Windows Vista. GeForce Boost is an interesting concept but with it working only on the 8400/8500 cards is limited in usefulness to most people as they might be better served buying a 9600GT and using the integrated graphics in an emergency. Hybrid SLI shows performance increases in most of the tests but in others it shows the same performance as the 8500GT by itself.
Posted by | Mon, Jul 21, 2008 - 09:45 AM
Danamics Liquid Metal CPU Cooling - Getting Closer To Production
A long time friend in the industry tipped me off about Danamics long ago and sent me the company logo before the site was even online. Fast forward a few months and they have announced the LM10, which is said to be the the first liquid metal-based cooler to hit the market. Danamics claims that it will do a better job at keeping your CPU cool than most water-based cooling systems that come in a kit. That's apparently possible thanks to a combination of liquid metal (the exact specifics of which seem to be under wraps) and the 'multi-string' electromagnetic pump that keeps things flowing.
Danamics ApS is a leading manufacturer of liquid metal based cooling solutions. The company was founded in 2005 and our headquarters are placed in Nørresundby, Denmark. The technology is described in parts containing information about the unique electromagnetic pump with its patent pending multi-string design and the liquid metal with its superior thermo physical characteristics.
Posted by | Mon, Jul 21, 2008 - 08:23 AM