Over the last couple of months we have looked at the excellent X-Series 850W and 1250W power supplies – they both earned our highest awards. Today we look at the more affordable 660W version, a modular design which has achieved 80 Plus Gold Certification. This range of power supplies has …
Read More »Has AMD taken 2 years to follow nVidia’s footsteps?
At CES in January 2011, Jen Hsun gave a big speech about the fruits from Project Denver, the idea of nVidia working with another company to incorporate important CPU technologies that the graphics giant lacked in its portfolio. Today, in San Francisco, AMD looks set to make a very similar …
Read More »Financially flat Intel is very attractive in a new way
KitGuru has spent time, possible too much time, analysing AMD's financial state in recent articles – but not really gone into any depth on Intel and what the future might have in store, financially, for the world's biggest CPU company and its investors. We pull out the trusty abacus and …
Read More »Gigabyte Z77X-UP7 Intel Z77 Motherboard Review
If you are in the market for a new system based on the Z77 platform then today's review product will be of interest. The Gigabyte Z77X-UP7 motherboard is a flagship product set to target the wealthy high end enthusiast audience who want to accept no compromises. Is this the ultimate …
Read More »be quiet! design competition winners announced
On 28th September, KitGuru kicked off one of the strangest competitions we're ever done. Forget the 'email this address and we'll pull your name out of a hat' scenarios of old – be quiet's Marketing Gurus wanted our readers to pick up pen, paper and Photoshop, in order to position …
Read More »Exclusive Natasha Sampson interview reveals Radeon RAMDisk secrets
Most of the noise around the AMD brand recently has focused on the low share price, the redundancies and the company's overall prospects for the future. Today, we're taking a look at one of its recent technology launches, Radeon RAMDisk. KitGuru gets up close and personal with AMD memory guru, …
Read More »Sapphire Pure Platinum A85XT Motherboard Review
AMD released their A10 5800K at the beginning of October and we analysed the processor when paired up with Asus F2A85-V Pro and Gigabyte F2A85X-UP4 motherboards. Sapphire recently sent us their PURE Platinum A85XT motherboard which incorporates a dual BIOS switch, onboard mSATA slot, 2 way Crossfire support and seven …
Read More »ADATA Premier Pro SP300 24GB mSATA Cache Solid State Drive Review
ADATA is targeting Intel Smart Response Technology users with its 24GB SP300 mSATA SSD. Can the SandForce SF-2141 controller and SATA 3Gb/s boundary-pushing speeds lure value-orientated and budget-conscious consumers? With an increasingly widespread adoption of the emerging mSATA interface by motherboard and laptop companies, many SSD manufacturers have designed low-cost options that make …
Read More »Will nVidia have discrete desktop graphics to itself within 5 years?
For years, nVidia has enjoyed a huge lead in workstation graphics. No secret. Quadro brings in serious profit. The connection from workstation to desktop was tenuous – as both had very different brands, markets, drivers and sales strategies. But there's one thing that Quadro gives nVidia, which could be crucial …
Read More »Noctua presents NH-L9 low profile CPU coolers
Noctua today presented its new NH-L9i and NH-L9a low profile CPU coolers for Intel and AMD. At a super-low profile of only 37mm, the NH-L9 coolers are ideal for extremely slim cases and with footprints tailored to the respective socket keep-out zones, they provide full compatibility with tall RAM modules …
Read More »Wear the Intel everywhere, 1984 anyone?
Having cemented its position as the dominant player at the top end of the processor market, Intel is looking to spread its wings over the coming years – to evolve and permeate every part of society – leaving no (st)one unturned. Now, it seams, the tech giant wants to get …
Read More »AMD FX8350 BE / Gigabyte HD7970 / ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2 Review
In October last year AMD released the FX8150 Black Edition 8 Core processor which met with a mixed reception. While the chip delivered good performance, it was priced too high and couldn't compete against equivalent Intel processors. Today we are looking at the latest AMD Black Edition, the FX8350, which …
Read More »New Radeon drivers to increase performance ‘significantly’
Working in the AMD graphics team, right now, must be one of the most bizarre experiences in the world. While departments are scrambling everywhere to deal with the company's new focus into non-PC space by 2022, the graphics team are quietly doing exactly what they're required to do. KitGuru checks …
Read More »AMD bundle AAA games with graphics cards
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are hoping that a new campaign will help drive sales of their graphics cards in Q4. They are bundling a series of high quality AAA games with their video cards. The ‘Never Settle' bundle campaign targets a wish list of AAA games such as Dirt ShowDown, …
Read More »AMD begins to move away from PC industry
Alongside the news that over 1,000 jobs would be lost to redundancy, last night's Q3 earnings call gave AMD the opportunity to discuss the changes it sees happening in the market – and how it sees itself ten years down the line. One thing was loud and clear, it won't …
Read More »AMD loses over 1,000 jobs during evolution
During last night's Q3 financial call, AMD executives delivered the news that KitGuru has expected for almost a year – a significant reduction in workforce going forward. It simply doesn't need the same workforce going forward as it did in the past. KitGuru pulls out the abacus to calculate the …
Read More »ASRock Z77 OC Formula Motherboard Review
ASRock have been aggressively targeting the overclocking audience in the last year and we have reviewed many of their motherboards for the Intel Z77 and X79 platform. Today we are focusing on a rather special design, created by overclocking guru Nick Shih specifically for the hardcore Z77 enthusiast audience. Make …
Read More »Samsung follows OCZ lead on large-sized SSD pricing
It's like a tiny glimpse into the future. OCZ has been pushing out some very aggressive deals into the market on large scale SSD – and now the big boys are following. The latest game of price-based kiss-chase is happening around the 240/256GB drives. Both Samsung and OCZ have something …
Read More »240GB SATA III SSD hits £129 on OcUK
While some of the big players in the market, like Kingston working with Overclockers and eBuyer, have peppered the £100 mark with some 240/256GB SSD deals, those have been for the older SATA II technology. Old stock depleted, cluster bombs of SATA III product are now targeting the same area. …
Read More »Asus drop price of P8Z77-V LX to £81.32 at Scan
We reviewed the Asus P8Z77-V LX back in July this year and it earned our Worth Buying award. While we had no concerns with the capabilities and performance of the board the issue we had at the time was that the competing Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H was around £12 cheaper. ASUS have …
Read More »NZXT 820: The devilish Phantom strikes again
Originally launched as ‘Gaming Armour', NZXT has enjoyed the most success with its stylish Phantom chassis over the past couple of years. Now it's ready to re-vamp a classic, KitGuru wonders whether to be scared or excited. With a built-in 4-channel fan-controller, alongside an SD card reader and lit back …
Read More »Thermaltake launches Evo Blue 2
It's not often a technology company launches a product that is openly labelled ‘Flashy', but when LEDs have been built in from the ground up – maybe it's an idea. The product info says ‘Turbo Powered PSU', so KitGuru brought along a tin of fresh-Porsche smell, just in case. The …
Read More »Asus Matrix HD7970 Platinum Graphics Card Review
When it comes to creating a high end graphics card, very few companies can match Asus. Today we are looking at their new Matrix HD7970 Platinum graphics card, which features a hefty metal, dual fan cooler and out of the box overclocked settings. This card uses a 20 phase VRM …
Read More »Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced Case Review
Today we are going to take a look at Cooler Master's latest small form factor offering, the Elite 120 Advanced which boasts an impressive specification. It has room for a full-size power supply and for long dual slot graphics cards, making it an ideal choice for those looking to build …
Read More »Cooler Master launches T2 and T4 affordable coolers
It always strikes KitGuru as a little funny when a company has one product in its name, but actually spends most of its time selling something completely different. For example, in London, there is a store called Selfridges that only seems to sell a handful of kitchen appliances. Cooler Master …
Read More »Silverstone FF142 wants to get stuck on you
We can all agree that the enemies of a modern PC include water, boiling oil, missile attack and – more commonly – simple dust. While Silverstone is not able to protect against liquids or missiles, the company's latest invention might help you with small particles. KitGuru wades through a cloud …
Read More »Intel Gaming Pentathlon powered by everyday devices
Arriving at the plush downtown offices of Hill & Knowlton, one of the world's oldest PR companies, on a chilly October evening – you would have been greeted by the site of a heap of IT journalists squatting, jumping, dancing and laying around big screens playing what appeared to be …
Read More »Cougar Challenger Mid Tower Case Review
Cougar is on the prowl for glory in the mid-range case market with the feature-heavy Challenger. Employing thoughtful amenities generally associated with up-market cases, can Cougar use the Challenger to attack a price vs performance sweet-spot? A trio of 5.25” tool-less drive bays, an external 3.5” compartment and 7x 2.5/3.5” …
Read More »Rory Read orders FX parts refresh for AMD in October
Given that they are up against Intel, with the Tick-Tock processor delivery schedule and more FABs than McDonald's got buns – you have to give AMD credit for trying. AMD's CEO has ordered the launch of a faster range of FX processors before Halloween's night is out. Is it trick …
Read More »Slip in Moore’s Law suits Intel product planning
We've all watched the Olympics. How many times have we seen a close-fought race end in a new world record? How many times have we seen one person completely dominate an event, only to pull up before the finishing line and miss smashing the old record by a big margin. …
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