Reviews Tom's Hardware US

Tom's Hardware US

Bang For Your Buck: Four 500 W Power Supplies Reviewed

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Enthusiasts often say that you can never have too much performance. However, a 500W power supply is perfectly ample for a majority of mid-range PCs. This is one of those cases where a solid ratio of performance to price is preferable to gross excess.



Power supply - Personal computer - Power Supplies - Business - Electronics and Electrical

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: July 2010

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

This month, we discuss the new GDDR5-based versions of the Radeon HD 5550 and 5570, the disappearance of Nvidia's GeForce 9600 GT, and almost-universal price drops across the GeForce GTX 400-series line. Come see how our recommendations have changed!



Nvidia - GeForce - Radeon - GDDR5 - Video card

Web Browser Grand Prix 2: The Top 5 Tested And Ranked

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

A few months ago we pitted the top five web browsers against each other to find out which is truly the fastest and Chrome took the title. Since then, major new version changes have been released for Chrome as well as its competitors. Today is the rematch.



Google Chrome - Web browser - Browser - Clients - WWW

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Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Bug Or Feature? AMD's Catalyst Doesn't Recognize NB Driver

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:50:00 CEST

When installing AMD's current northbridge drivers, the "success" confirmation message, installation log entries, and info in the Device Manager might lead you to believe that everything was installed just fine. Too bad the Catalyst setup says otherwise.



Advanced Micro Devices - Device Manager - Northbridge (computing) - Device Drivers - AMD

Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: July 2010

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

This month we see retail availability of the new models from the AMD and Intel camps: the Athlon II X2 260, the Athlon II X3 445, and the Athlon II X4 640 from AMD, and the Pentium E6700, Core i5-655K, and Core i7-875K from Intel. Read about them here!



Advanced Micro Devices - Intel Corporation - AthlonIi - Intel Core i7 - Central processing unit

OnLive Cloud-Based Gaming: Is This The End Of High-End PCs?

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 22:10:00 CEST

We've been hearing about OnLive's cloud-based service for more than a year now. The company claims it can offer the latest games on demand, without a need for meaty hardware requirements on the client end. Could this really be the end of high-end PCs?



OnLive - Cloud computing - Personal computer - Video game - Business

In Pictures: 20 Must-See Games And Components From E3 2010

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Better late than never, right? Our top 20 must-haves from E3 include a list of upcoming hardware and software that every gamer will want to sample, regardless of whether youâ??re a hardcore PC gamer or a console junkie. Check out our pictorial tour.



Hardware - Video game - Personal computer - Games - Electronic Entertainment Expo

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Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Six-Core Analysis: AMDâ??s Phenom II X6 Gets Scaled Down

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Whatâ??s the real benefit of six cores versus five, four, three, two, or one? This article looks at the performance, power, and efficiency of AMD's Thuban-based six-core Phenom II X6 1090T processor running with several different core configurations.



Advanced Micro Devices - AMD Phenom - AMD - Processor - Thuban

Mainstream Or Hardcore? Two X58 Motherboards Compared

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

You need Intelâ??s LGA 1366 interface and an X58-based platform in order to run the latest six-core processors, but which board should you pick? We're comparing a mainstream and flagship platform from the same company to explore the worth of high-end X58.



Intel Corporation - Motherboard - Intel - Hardware - Components

785G And H55: Two Powerful Mini-ITX-Based Desktop Solutions

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

When it's time to look into small form factor machines, do you pick AMD or Intel? With an increasing number of motherboard companies offering Mini-ITX platforms with powerful desktop performance in a diminutive footprint, we compared two modern options.



Motherboard - Intel Corporation - Mini-ITX - Hardware - Components

Amazing SLI Scaling: Do Two GeForce GTX 460s Beat One GTX 480?

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

The GeForce GTX 460 has already proven itself an excellent value as a single card, but can two of them offer superior performance at similar cost to Nvidiaâ??s flagship GTX 480? Let's just say that there's a good reason to buy an SLI-compatible motherboard.



Nvidia - GeForce - Motherboard - Scalable Link Interface - Video card

Comparison: Factory-Overclocked Versus Reference Graphics

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

In order to set their products apart, third-party vendors take reference GPUs from AMD and Nvidia, then make their own tweaks to layout, cooling, and performance. We're comparing a tuned-up card from MSI to AMD's reference Radeon HD 5870 to measure value.



Graphics processing unit - Radeon - Nvidia - Advanced Micro Devices - Video card

Intel Xeon 5600-Series: Can Your PC Use 24 Processors?

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

The professional space is peppered with products derived from the desktop. Today we're looking at Intel's Xeon X5680 CPUs, which look a lot like Core i7-980X, only they're optimized for dual-socket platforms. We're also introducing new Adobe CS5 tests.



Intel Corporation - Intel - Xeon - Central processing unit - Intel Core i7

Three External (And Fast) USB 3.0 Drives Compared

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

The first USB 3.0-based external hard drives aim at eliminating the USB 2.0 bottleneck (that hovered around 30 MB/s) with enough bandwidth to outperform the fastest mechanical disks. A-Data, Buffalo, and WD do battle for maximum performance.



Universal Serial Bus - Hard disk drive - Western Digital - Hardware - Storage

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Thu, 08 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Three Gaming Cases, With Power, Under $100

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Case and power supply combos always look like a bargain, but bargain-basement parts have always seemed to chase experienced builders away. Today, we consider three budget-enthusiast models to determine if any of them can meet our basic gaming needs.



Power supply - Business - Hardware - Case - Components

Game-Off: Seven Sub-$150 Processors Compared

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Today, we're putting the newest and fastest sub-$150 processors against each other in a gaming competition to see which models offer the best bang for your buck. Will it be Intel's Core i3, its Clarkdale-based Pentium, or AMD's Athlon and Phenom II CPUs?



Advanced Micro Devices - Intel Corporation - Central processing unit - AmdPhenom - Athlon

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Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:00:00 CEST

CORE Or Boost? AMD's And Intel's Turbo Features Dissected

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Intel arms its Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs with Turbo Boost. AMD's hexa-core Phenom II X6 chips sport Turbo CORE. Both technologies dynamically increase performance based on perceived workloads and available thermal headroom. Which one does the better job?



Intel Corporation - Intel Turbo Boost - Intel Core - Intel Core i7 - Advanced Micro Devices

LCD Juggernaut: Tom's Hardware Looks Into Samsung's Seoul

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Samsung invited Tomâ??s Hardware for a first-ever glimpse inside its South Korean LCD fab facilities. We walked the gargantuan manufacturing hallways and basked in the glow of every screen imaginable. Weâ??ve seen the future. Now we're giving you a peek.



South Korea - Samsung Group - Seoul - Liquid crystal display - Asia

GeForce GTX 480M: AVADirectâ??s W880CU Is Packing The Heat

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

With the launch of its GeForce GTX 480M, Nvidiaâ??s Fermi architecture takes center stage in high-end gaming notebooks. But is the notoriously-hot GPU able to compete against AMD's Mobility Radeon HD 5870? AVADirect gives us the answer with its new W880CU.



Nvidia - GeForce - Graphics processing unit - Radeon - Fermi

Intel Pentium 4 Vs. Atom: A Battle Of The Generations

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:00:01 CEST

Most people know that Intelâ??s Atom is a slow, low-cost processor. But does it even offer enough performance to take it beyond desktop processors nearly a decade old? Today we're comparing a modern Atom CPU to two Northwood-class Pentium 4-based PCs.



Intel Corporation - Intel Atom - Intel - Central processing unit - Personal computer

Two 2TB Hard Drives For Storage Applications, Reviewed

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Samsung and Seagate are each offering new high-capacity drives that strive to cram tons of data into a 3.5" form factor. Today's battle is the eco-friendly Spinpoint against the nearline Constellation, low power against business-class. Which one is best?



Seagate Technology - Storage - Hardware - Hard disk drive - Hard Drives

How Much Power Does Low-Voltage DDR3 Memory Really Save?

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Kingstonâ??s HyperX LoVo-series DDR3 memory allows users to reduce voltage to 1.35 V or 1.25 V in order to save power and allegedly decrease system temperature. We test the eco-friendly modules to find out if it really makes sense to run undervolted memory.



Voltage - Temperature - Business - DDR3 SDRAM - Electronics and Electrical

Asus ARES: Is This The One Graphics Card To Rule Them All?

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Asus' new ARES immediately earns bragging rights as one of the fastest single graphics cards ever created. We put the beast through a gauntlet of tests to measure this product's true power. At the end of the day, we answer whether it's worth four digits.



Video card - Asus - Recreation - Hardware - Components

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Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Nvidia 3D Vision Surround: Is This The Future Of Gaming?

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:00:00 CEST

A little more than a year ago, we saw a renewed interest in stereoscopic gaming with Nvidia's 3D Vision technology. Today, the company is following up with 3D gaming across three displays. But has the 3D ecosystem improved since our last look at the tech?



Nvidia - Technology - Games - Gambling - Business

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Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

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Thu, 24 Jun 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Six-Core Analysis, Part 2: Intel Core i7-980X Scaling

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Intel's Turbo Boost technology provides a mechanism for improving system performance most significantly in lightly-threaded apps, even at peak loads. But what is the feature's impact on a Gulftown-based Core i7-980X processor with different core counts?

Web Browser Grand Prix 2: Running The Linux Circuit

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Last week we showed Opera 10.60 to be the world's fastest Web browser. That was in the Windows world. But where do Chrome, Firefox, and Opera stand in Linux? Today we find out. Adding the Win 7 results, we'll also learn which OS has the speediest browser.



Opera - Google Chrome - Linux - Mozilla Firefox - Firefox

Notebook Hard Drives: 750GB And 640GB Models Reviewed

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 06:00:00 CEST

Remember when 500GB was the most you could get from a notebook drive? It seems like most vendors have made the transition to 640GB. Western Digital even has its own 750GB model that fits within the 9.5 mm z-height. So, which of these drives is the best?



Western Digital - Hard disk drive - Hardware - Storage - Hard Drives

Five USB 3.0 Flash Drives For Your Pocket

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:00:01 CEST

Do you carry around large amounts of data? Do you need to transfer it between devices in a hurry? We're examining five new USB 3.0-based portable storage solutions that might fit your needs. This time around, the focus is on maximizing portability.



Universal Serial Bus - Hardware - Storage - Data - hard drive

X58 To The Max: Three New Flagship LGA 1366 Motherboards

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:00:00 CEST

Supporting Intelâ??s highest-performance processors with twice the bandwidth of its mainstream counterpart, the X58 chipset proves the staying power of good ideas. We take a closer look at what makes the latest generation of premium motherboards special.



Motherboard - Intel Corporation - Hardware - Components - Intel X58

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Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:50:00 CEST

Nvidia GeForce GTX 460: The Fermi We Were Waiting For

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:00:00 CEST

After being shocked by the GeForce GTX 480's power consumption and outright disappointed by the GeForce GTX 465's performance for $279, Nvidia surprises us with a Fermi-based card that leaves us downright impressed. The GeForce GTX 460 is a real winner.



Nvidia - GeForce - Video card - GeForce GTX 460 - GeForce GTX 465