ZOTAC IONITX-A-U Atom N330 WiFi N Motherboard Kit @ Benchmark Reviews

We all want more for less. That's why enthusiasts overclock, and that's why we build HTPCs. The PlayStation 3 game console has sold millions of units because of its ability to delivery realistic video game performance, but Sony has sold more units because of the PS3's Blu-ray Disc player capability than any other factor. Bringing personal computer technology into the home theater environment has just come one step closer, thanks to the NVIDIA ION platform. The synergistic effect of an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and the dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom process have delivered true high-definition performance beyond any HTPC before it. The Zotac IONITX-A-U packages the Atom N330 CPU and 9400M GPU on a Mini-ITX DDR2 motherboard. Benchmark Reviews discovers how nice it is to have native HDMI connectivity from the HTPC into the HDTV in this article.

Click here for the full story...

ASUS Maximus II Gene mATX Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews

ASUS has some tough shoes to fill. Fortunately, they're familiar shoes; their own, in fact. A long string of high performance motherboards that got adopted simultaneously by the enthusiast and gaming sets, led ASUS to create a specialty brand segment they call "Republic of Gamers". The ROG Creed goes like this: "The Republic of Gamers is committed to delivering the most innovative and best performing PC solutions to enhance the gaming experience of power users." That's a tall order, especially in the competitive PC component market where today's news is already old news. One of the newest members of this Republic is the Maximus II GENE, part of a new group of small form factor components that give nothing away in performance to their larger brethren. Benchmark Reviews is pleased to review this latest offering, based on the Intel P45 and ICH10R, and we put it through the wringer against a well known full ATX-size reference board.

Click here for the full story...

Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3 Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews

Along with AMD's launch of the Phenom II and Athlon II processor families this year, we've also witnessed a steady shift in focus from their AM2+/DDR2 platform to a full AM3/DDR3 platform. The good news is that these newer AM3 processors support both DDR2 and DDR3 memory, allowing consumers to upgrade without replacing their whole system. Still, that leaves many wondering if they're missing out by not making the jump to DDR3 memory. To help answer that question, today Benchmark Reviews puts Gigabyte's DDR2-based MA790X-UD4P motherboard to the test.

Click here for the full story.

QNAP TS-119 Gigabit NAS Server @ Benchmark Reviews

If you've ever visited Benchmark Reviews in the past, you've probably noticed that we've tested a large collection of NAS products. At the same time, you might have noticed how many of these products aren't really geared towards home users needing just the basics. That's where the QNAP TS-119 comes in handy. Designed to hold a single SATA drive (HDD or SSD), the TS-119 can deliver all the great features of larger more expensive NAS products. The latest Enterprise-level NAS servers feature iSCSI expansion, RAID redundancy, and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, and surprisingly the TS-119 does these things too, but without the expensive price tag. How can a single-drive NAS offer RAID you ask? In this article Benchmark Reviews takes the QNAP TS-119 through a tough set of p! erformance tests while we outline the Turbo NAS functions and features.

Click here for the full story...

ASUS EN9400GT GeForce 9400GT HDMI Video Card @ Benchmark Reviews

Home Theater Personal Computers have been on the rise in recent years but most HTPC cases have a major flaw that makes them inherently tricky to deal with, their size. Some say size doesn't matter, well that may be true for some things in life but when it comes to HTPC's, if it's small it means limited air flow and thus it's cooling capabilities are limited. It also means that you just can't fit a very powerful video card inside of it. Even if you could, a bigger video card means more heat and we all know that heat is the number one enemy of all your computer components. So what if there was such a video card that would not only fit inside of a small form factor HTPC case but one that can perform well enough to meet the demands an HTPC requires all the while keeping it's cool? Sounds impossible? Maybe or maybe not. Here at Benchmark Reviews, you will find a lot of high end video ca! rd reviews just like many other review websites but not everyone is looking for a high end video card. Benchmark Reviews tests the ASUS EN9400GT GeForce 9400GT HDMI video card and puts it through a battery of frame rate tests to see just how well the 9400 GT performs and whether or not it can live up to the requirements of living inside of a HTPC case.

Click here for the full sotry...

Silverstone LC10B-E HTPC Case @ Benchmark Reviews

Home Theater PCs continue to gain popularity, particularly as more television networks are pushing their content over the web. They're also a great platform for gaming, watching Blu-Ray movies, running a custom DVR, and centralizing media storage. For some of these tasks, a low-power Atom system might be sufficient, but for gaming and processing high definition content, most consumers will want a little more horsepower. That's where a quality HTPC chassis can make a big difference. With room for full-size ATX components, seven hard drives, and five fans, the SilverStone LC10B-E that Benchmark Reviews is covering today should fit the bill.

Click here for the full story...

Sapphire HD4890 Toxic Vapor-X 11150-01-40R @ Benchmark Reviews

Sapphire has four ranges for most top-end products they offer: standard, Vapor-X, Toxic, and Atomic. While each is different in its own right, for most gamers it is the Toxic design that draws the most attention. Combining the Vapor-X cooling with overclocks seen on the Atomic, the Toxic brand is the most elite air-cooled video card Sapphire offers. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the performance on the Sapphire HD4890 Toxic Vapor-X 11150-01-40R video card against many of the other best graphics accelerator solutions in the price segment. FPS tests compare frame rates between low to high-end video cards, including a pair of CrossFireX Radeon HD 4770's.

Click here for the complete story...