Today we have something very special for review, one of the very few early samples of an upcoming kit developed by Kingston specifically for Intel's Sandybridge platform – a new certified 8GB HyperX bundle which runs at a very tasty 2133mhz. Kingston might not always come to mind first when …
Read More »BitFenix Survivor Case Review
In September 2010, KitGuru reviewed the BitFenix Colossus case and while it showed promise, we didn't think it was totally ready for prime time release. Today we are looking at their Survivor case, a more modest design which we are sure will appeal to a much wider audience. The mid …
Read More »Cooler Master V8 Cooler Review – revisited
KitGuru staff often get asked which cooler makes the best partner for their overclocked system. My personal choices normally shift between the Thermaltake Frio and the Noctua NH D14, depending on the budget. Recently we have received many emails asking if we could give the Cooler Master V8 the ‘KitGuru …
Read More »Antec Soundscience Rockus 3D 2.1 Speaker Review
Antec are renowned among enthusiast circles for creating some of the finest computer cases and power supplies on the market. Like others in todays climate they are expanding into new territories and have turned their attention to speakers. This isn't a half hearted attempt however, with a new subsidiary entitled …
Read More »HIS HD6970 Turbo Edition Review
AMD's new HD6970 range has impressed KitGuru, delivering stunning gaming performance at a very respectable price point. While nVidia certainly have the performance advantage right now with their GTX580, we really do love to game across three screens without having to purchase another graphics card. Today we are looking at …
Read More »Asus GTX580 Direct CU II Review – the ultimate 580?
The high end sector only drives a small portion of income for nVidia and AMD, however it is important to be seen as dominant in this sector as public perception and confidence can drive sales further down the range. The Asus GTX580 Direct CU II is a highly modified play …
Read More »Flawed Sandybridge systems being sold with PCI Express workaround
As we all know by now, Intel announced that it was pulling all Cougar Point chipsets that support the new Sandybridge desktop and laptop processor family due to a design flaw in the chip controlling the Serial ATA II data inputs. All H67 and P67 boards have two sets of …
Read More »MSI R6870 HAWK (Twin Frozr III Thermal Design) Review
Today we are looking at a rather special card from MSI, the R6870 HAWK Edition with the new Twin Frozr III Cooler. With a 8+2 Phase PWM design and a dual fan speed profile switch connected to a new propeller blade design we have high hopes that this will be …
Read More »Foxconn H55MX-S Motherboard Review
With Sandy Bridge in a state of hiatus for the next couple of months, a specific sector of our audience may decide to opt for the previous-generation platform which is now thoroughly tried and tested. These people are more likely to be building a media system which doesn’t require all …
Read More »YOYOTech Warbird SB2500-460 System Review
We reviewed an impressive XDNA system from YOYOTech a few months back which impressed us with a tasty overclock and CPU water cooling ‘out of the box'. Sadly, this was priced for those people with deeper pockets, so we were very excited when YOYOTech offered us one of their latest …
Read More »Sapphire HD6870 FleX Edition CrossfireX Review – Quad screen 7680×1080 testing
When KitGuru reviewed Sapphire's HD5770 Flex Edition last year, it walked away with our top award. It was not only an amazing productivity board, but in a CrossfireX configuration it was capable of reasonable frame rates across three screens. Today we are looking at the new Sapphire HD6870 Flex Edition, …
Read More »Is Asus the victim of industry backstabbers?
Yesterday KitGuru was privy to some rather interesting email chatter across the grapevine, which indicated that Asus had in fact advised its partners to continue selling Sandy Bridge boards with potentially problematic slow drive controller issues. We love a little gossip… So what's the truth? The recent Intel Sandybridge Cougar …
Read More »Powercolor HD6970 PCS+ Review – silent and deadly
AMD's HD6970 has been a strong seller since it was released on December 15th 2010. The combination of class leading performance and competitive price point has served AMD's partners well. Today we are looking at the new PowerColor HD6970 PCS+ which receives a high level of TLC, with enhanced clock …
Read More »CM Storm Strike Force SF-19 Laptop Cooler Review
Kitguru readers have great taste in hardware, of that there is no question. Many of you will already have a high performance laptop, probably for gaming duties. Those of you who have tried to use a high performance machine on their lap will generally agree that it can get really …
Read More »Alienware M17x R3 Laptop Review (Core i7 2630QM / 256GB SSD)
Alienware are an iconic system builder. For years they have been building radical, futuristically styled machines which have featured in many high profile TV shows and movies. Several years ago Dell took over the brand, incorporating them as their high end, customised system builds. Today we are looking at the …
Read More »Sapphire HD6870 Toxic Edition Review – the fastest HD6870 available?
Sapphire have a well earned reputation as one of AMD's finest partners. Their Vapor X and Toxic Edition cards command a small price premium while offering significant advantages in all key areas. Today we are looking at the as yet unreleased HD6870 Toxic Edition with custom Vapor-X cooler and ‘out …
Read More »Intel says STOP BUYING OUR NEW SYSTEMS
OK, it has arrived. Following on from Intel's very open and honest revelation yesterday morning, the channel has been waiting to hear what the full extent of Intel's advice is – and it has just arrived. KitGuru reveals all. The message is clear. “Intel Recommends Channel Customers Stop Building and …
Read More »Intel plays down impact of Sandy Bridge chipset fault
“There's never a good time to have a problem, but if you're going to experience an issue then at the start of a transition is as good a time as ever”. That's Intel's opinion. But is it realistic? KitGuru investigates. Intel's experienced very few problems during its existence. To be …
Read More »Enermax Hoplite Mid-Tower Case Review
Enermax are well known for producing some of the best quality power supplies on the market and have recently produced a range of flashy LED fans which Zardon tested a few months back. But they also produce a range of PC cases, one of which they have sent us to …
Read More »Global Foundries ready to step up production for AMD
Following yesterday's announcement from Intel that there is a problem with the chipset necessary to support the 2nd generation Core processors, codenamed Sandy Bridge, a lot of eyes have turned to AMD. KitGuru's been asking the important questions. Yesterday, we were all struggling to remember the last time that Intel …
Read More »Hardware flaw stops shipment of Intel chipsets – channel prepares for worst
Intel has announced today that there is a flaw in the 6 series chipsets which accompany the new Sandybridge processor family. With the cost of this issue likely to top $700m very quickly, KitGuru has been investigating. At the very least, there will need to be a massive re-engineering effort, …
Read More »VisionTek Killer HD 5770 Combo Graphics-Network Card Review
Today we are going to be looking at a hybrid graphics/network card, featuring an amalgamation of technology from AMD and Bigfoot Networks. This card from VisionTek combines a 1GB HD5770 with a KillerNic 2100 to offer lower ping times with decent mainstream gaming performance. Focusing on high end graphics solutions …
Read More »Thermaltake opens new office, prepares new designs
While producing iconic designs like the Level 10 chassis, Thermaltake has been located in a small office on the outskirts of Taipei. Alongside a growth in the company's ambition, CEO Kenny Lin recently decided that he needed to grow the office. Champagne bottles at the ready, KitGuru sent a spy …
Read More »Synology DiskStation DS1511+ Review
KitGuru has reviewed many NAS systems in the last year and we have covered most of the previous range from Synology. Today we are looking at the new flagship product aimed at the small and medium sized business market. With support for up to 15 drives via additional Synology DX510 …
Read More »MSI AMD Fusion Platform System Prototype – world first exclusive
First there was the promise, that Fusion was the future. Then, at CES, AMD revealed the combination of CPU and GPU that it calls an APU. Today, Kitguru has in its lab the world's first AMD Fusion Platform prototype from MSI, exclusively for our reader's delight. It is a model/concept …
Read More »So where is AMD Fusion hiding? The search begins.
It has been 5 years and a global saturation programme to convince us that the “Future is Fusion”. Now the product has launched, where is it hiding? KitGuru dons a safari costume, picks up a set of high-powered binoculars and goes in search of AMD Fusion. In contrast to the …
Read More »Volvo issues official warning on C30, S40 & V50
Not sure how many KitGuru readers would buy a new Volvo, but just in case you do, we wanted to flag an email that's been sent from Volvo HQ. Following the Toyota brake safety issue, you can't be too safe and it's always better to have all of the facts. …
Read More »MSI CX623 Laptop Review – Core i5/Geforce 310M
MSI have a wide range of laptops for the enthusiast user and today we are looking at the rather sexy multimedia based CX623, complete with Core i5 460m, LED screen and nVidia 310M. In a perfect world, everyone would be equipped with a £3,000 laptop, but sadly in the real …
Read More »Asus M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 Motherboard Review
Even after the launch of Sandy Bridge from Intel, there are still a lot of users out there who will opt for an AMD based system so it is our duty, as Gurus of Kit, to review some of the latest and greatest AMD based motherboards. Today we are going …
Read More »Fractal Design Define XL Case Review
We've recently reviewed a number of mid-range cases that fall in the just over £100 mark from the likes of Corsair and Lian Li which impressed us greatly. So when we were offered a similarly-priced case from a lesser known manufacturer, we jumped at the chance so we could see …
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