November 3rd, 2009

Hardware 2.0 'Very Best Kit List' for Nov/Dec 09

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 3:48 am

Categories: Components, Cutting Edge, DIY PC, Gadgets, Gaming, Graphics, Hardware

Tags: Card, Board, Western Digital Corp., Overclocking, Motherboard, Price, CPU, Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Corp., Radeon

Welcome to the updated and revamped Hardware 2.0 “Very Best Kit List” for Nov/Dec 09, the last such list for 2009. Here I’ve put together a list of the best high-end and mid-range and budget components currently available. So if you’re thinking of buying, building or even upgrading a PC, this list is a must-read for you!

See also my Holiday Gift Guide 2009 for even more cool kit! 

This time around sees the addition of several new categories, such as netbooks, notebooks, all-in-one PCs, and wireless routers. I’ve also added new products to some of the existing categories too.

These components are on this list because I firmly believe them to be the best either in terms of performance or price - although I’m ready to admit, as always, that there’s room for debate and some choices “go with the gut” more than others.

NOTE: Each time I come out with a list of kit I always end up fielding a few emails and comments from people wondering if companies have “bought” space on the list. Let me tell you now that the only way for a product to get on this list is to be the best - period. Manufacturers, vendors and PR companies have zero influence over this or any other recommendation that I make.

Final note: All prices are approximate … shop around for the best deals!

• CPUs
• Motherboards
• RAM
• Graphics Cards
• Hard Disks
• Sound Cards
• PSUs
• Coolers
• Cases
• Monitors
• Keyboards/Mice
• Netbook
• Notebook
• All-in-One PC
• All-in-One Printer
• In-Car GPS
• Wireless Router 

Next –>

October 16th, 2009

Best 'bang for the buck' graphics cards

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 6:41 am

Categories: AMD/ATI, Components, Cutting Edge, Gaming, Graphics, Hardware, NVIDIA, Performance

Tags: Card, Video Card, Graphics, Radeon, Video Cards, Hardware, Components, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

It seems that gamers are no longer willing to blow $500 on a graphics card. More and more of you wan to know what’s the best graphics card you can buy on a limited budget.

In this post I will look at the best graphics card you can buy in four different price brackets.

Sub $100

You can pick up some truly excellent graphics cards for under $100. In fact, if you buy the right bit of kit, you can pretty much get all the graphics card you’ll need for under $100.

There are two cards in particular worth looking at:

• SAPPHIRE 100265HDMI Radeon HD 4830 512MB (around $95)
• PowerColor AX4850 512MD3-PH Radeon HD 4850 512MB (around $99)

Given the choice I’d go for the PowerColor card because it offers a little more performance. Other than that, both have dual-monitor support, support for HDMI and offer a great gaming experience.

Sub $200

OK, with an increased budget you are looking at graphics cards that can deliver amazing gaming experience at high resolutions. Graphics cards in this price category are aimed at hardcore enthusiasts and in order to get the  best from them the rest of your hardware has to be of high-spec too. There’s no point adding an expensive graphics card to a low-end PC!

In the sub $200 price category you want to be looking at cards such as the following:

• XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB (around $175)
• EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 (around $199)

Here I’d go for the Radeon HD 5770 because it’s a newer card , based on newer technology, more powerful and cheaper than the NVIDIA card.

Next –>

September 11th, 2009

Next-gen AMD Radeon GPU powers six 30" displays

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 2:18 am

Categories: AMD/ATI, Components, Cutting Edge, Gaming, Graphics, Hardware

Tags: Monitor, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., GPU, Monitors & Displays, Games, Hardware, Components, Personal Technology, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

I’ll warn you in advance that if you are a gamer then you’ll find this awesome.

By combining next-generation GPUs and an array of compact DisplayPort connectors, AMD has come up with a new feature called Eyefinity where a single GPU is capable of driving six monitors. And these aren’t tiny monitors, they’re monster 30″ Dell monitors, each running at a whopping 2560×1600 resolution. That’s a total image resolution of 7,680 x 3,200 pixels, or over 24 megapixels!

Now you might be thinking that this is great and all, but any games that you’ll want to play will need to be modified to take advantage of the multiple monitors, which means that it’ll never take off. Not so! You can right now play existing games such as Dead Space, Left 4 Dead, World of Warcraft and DiRT 2 on the setup … all you need is the wall space for the screens! And if wall space (and cash!) is limited, you could always use three monitors instead!

The folks over at The Tech Report have some stunning images of games running across six screens and I have to say that they look awesome.

And this isn’t all “pie in the sky” thinking either. AMD has been working with Samsung to bring out monitors with narrow bezels. This means that you could have a more modest version of this setup running on your desk! Even with three regular 22″ panels, this could give you an amazing gaming experience for a lot less than the cost of the top-end CPU.

Suddenly, gaming on the PC feels relevant again …

August 31st, 2009

Your next PC .. next year and the year after!

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 4:31 am

Categories: Components, Cutting Edge, Gadgets, Gaming, Graphics, Hardware, Industry, Mobile Technology, New-Tech

Tags: PC, Graphics, Intel Corp., Processors, Semiconductors, Hardware, Components, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

People seem to be very interested as to what the PC they’ll buy in the future will be like. Well, by taking a look at what technologies hardware vendors such as Intel and AMD have already announced, we can make some educated guesses!

2010

The big hitter of 2010 will be Intel as it plans to introduce the the six-core 32nm behemoth to the Core i9 Extreme line, currently codenamed “Gulftown”. his monster piece of silicon will be able to handle 12 threads and will debut at a clock speed of 2.4GHz.

Also from Intel will be the 32nm Clarkdale processors that feature integrated graphics. These chips will Read the rest of this entry »

June 3rd, 2009

Intel Core i7 950/975 CPUs on the way ... anyone interested?

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 2:47 am

Categories: Cutting Edge, Gaming, Hardware, Intel

Tags: CPU, Intel Core Microarchitecture, Processors, Semiconductors, Hardware, Components, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

So, BFG Technologies let the cat out of the bag about Intel’s upcoming Core i7 950 and 975 CPUs. But priced at between $5,000 and $8,000, does anyone need such a system? Can anyone afford them?

There’s no doubt that the Core i7 line of CPUs are fantastic bits of silicon, and the 3.33GHz 975 Extreme Edition is, for the time being at least, the apotheosis when it comes to CPUs. But at $999 per CPU, they’re crazy expensive, and when wrapped up with parts able to keep up with the speed of the CPU, the entire package becomes eye-wateringly expensive.

Take BFG Technologies’ Phobos systems. The Phobos Advanced, based around the Core i7 950, starts at $5,000, while the Phobos Elite, built around the 975, starts at a whopping $8,000 (using the online configurator I managed to push the hardware price to over $12,500). This for a system that Read the rest of this entry »

March 3rd, 2009

NVIDIA and ATI look to redefine high-end mobile graphics

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 4:35 am

Categories: AMD/ATI, Cutting Edge, Graphics, NVIDIA, Notebooks

Tags: Notebook, Mobile, Nvidia GeForce, NVidia Corp., ATI Technologies Inc., Graphics, GPU, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Yesterday saw a flurry of activity on the mobile GPU front from both NVIDIA and AMD/ATI.

ATI launched what is the world’s first 40nm GPUs - ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860 and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830.

AMD today announced the world’s first graphics processors to harness 40nm process technology: the ATI Mobility RadeonTM HD 4860 and ATI Mobility RadeonTM HD 4830. These feature-rich graphics processors redefine mobile PC entertainment with advanced capabilities including support for the latest Microsoft DirectX® 10.1 games, a home theater-quality HD multimedia experience, and energy-efficient features for long battery life at work, at home or at play.

From NVIDIA we have the GeForce GTX 280M and 260M GPUs for enthusiast notebooks and the Read the rest of this entry »

September 19th, 2008

Hardware 2.0 "Best Kit List" for Oct/Nov 08

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 6:37 am

Categories: Components, Cutting Edge, DIY PC, Gaming, Graphics, Hardware, Industry, Performance

Tags: ASUS, Card, Video Card, Performance, Board, Motherboard, Price, CPU, List, RAM

OK, it’s time once again for The Hardware 2.0 “Best Kit List” for Oct/Nov 08. Here I’ve put together a list of the best high-end and mid-range components currently available, with some decent budget parts listed too, along with a few honorable mentions. So if you’re thinking of buying, building or even upgrading a PC, this list is a must-read for you!

Check out the gallery for this post here

These components are on this list because I firmly believe them to be the best either in terms of performance or price - although I’m ready to admit, as always, that there’s room for debate and some choices “go with the gut” more than others.

NOTE: Each time I come out with a list of kit I always end up fielding a few emails and comments from people wondering if companies have “bought” space on the list. Let me tell you now that the only way for a product to get on this list is to be the best - period. Manufacturers, vendors and PR companies have zero influence over this or any other recommendation that I make.

Also note: I’m looking to expand this list by adding more categories and components. If you’d like to see anything added, let me know!

Quick menu

• CPUs
• Motherboards
• Graphics cards
• Hard drives
• RAM
• Sound card/Speakers
• Coolers
• PSUs
• Cases
• Monitors

Let’s get started!

CPUs –>

July 25th, 2008

Hardware 2.0 "Best Kit List" for Aug/Sep 08

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 5:35 am

Categories: Components, Cutting Edge, Gaming, Graphics, Hardware, Industry

Tags: ASUS, Card, Video Card, Performance, Board, Motherboard, Price, CPU, List, RAM

OK, it’s time once again for The Hardware 2.0 “Best Kit List” for Aug/Sep 08. Here I’ve put together a list of the best high-end and mid-range components currently available, with some decent budget parts listed too, along with a few honorable mentions. So if you’re thinking of buying, building or even upgrading a PC, this list is a must-read for you!

Check out the gallery for this post here

These components are on this list because I firmly believe them to be the best either in terms of performance or price - although I’m ready to admit, as always, that there’s room for debate and some choices “go with the gut” more than others.

NOTE: Each time I come out with a list of kit I always end up fielding a few emails and comments from people wondering if companies have “bought” space on the list. Let me tell you now that the only way for a product to get on this list is to be the best - period. Manufacturers, vendors and PR companies have zero influence over this or any other recommendation that I make.

This month sees a significant shake-up of the list.

Quick menu

• CPUs
• Motherboards
• Graphics cards
• Hard drives
• RAM
• Sound card/Speakers
• Coolers
• PSUs
• Cases
• Monitors

Let’s get started!

CPUs –>

November 27th, 2007

The BIG Alienware m9750 review

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 6:26 am

Categories: Cutting Edge, Gaming, Hardware, My Alienware Experience, NVIDIA, Notebooks, Vista

Tags: Game, Alienware, Notebook, Problem, Setup, M9750, Games, Personal Technology, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

I don’t spend anywhere near as much time gaming as I’d like to.  Part of this is down to being busy, but a bigger factor is the fact that I have to be sitting at my desk, and that feels an awful lot like work even when it’s not.  Is there a way to be able to spend some quality time gaming without being tied to a desk?

Check out the m9750 screenshot gallery

Introducing the m9750

A few weeks ago Alienware sent me an m9750 for review.  The m9750 is their flagship gaming notebook and it comes equipped with Intel T7600 CPU delivering 2.33GHz and has 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 RAM fitted.  There’s also no hard drive in this puppy – storage is in the form of a 64GB solid state drive, which not only means excellent performance, but also low power consumption.   Onto this 32-bit Windows Vista Home Premium has been installed.  Now when it comes to graphics, Alienware have spared no expense in packing the best possible components into the m9750 - the stunning 17” Wide Screen WUXGA 1920 x 1200 Clearview screen is powered by dual 512MB nVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX GDDR3 cards. 

On the audio front the m9750 is equipped with 7.1 channel system and comes with all the connections jacks you’d expect, including surround sound speakers and a TOSlink optical port.  The system comes with both A/B/G wireless and gigabit wired network support, Bluetooth support, 56K V.92 modem, 4 USB 2.0 ports, Express Card slot, Firewire and a 4-in-1 memory card reader supporting SD, MS, MS Pro and MMC.  Games are loaded onto the system via an 8x Dual Layer CD-RW/DVD±RW with LightScribe labeling technology.

Another nice feature of the m9750 is the full-size keyboard with numeric pad, which is a real boost for gamers.  There’s also a touchpad with scroll functionality and a media touch strip offering instant access to specific applications.  Finally, there’s an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera built into the frame of the LCD panel.

The system specified above will set you back $4,174 (the Alienware m9750 starts at $1,699).

Hands-on with the m9750

The first thing that struck me about the Alienware m9750 is just how robust it feels.  The notebook measures 1.5″ thick (the funky Alienware design on the lid adding to the thickness) by 15.65″ wide by 11.75″ deep and weighs in at a hefty 9 lbs.  The material Alienware have chosen for the casing feels slightly rubbery to the touch and is a matte black called Stealth Black, which, in my opinion is far superior to shiny material which picks up and then highlights every fingerprint and speck of dirt (fingerprints on the m9750 is still stand out, just nowhere near as bad as they do on a shiny surface). 

Open the lid on the m9750 and you’re faced with the spectacular 17” wide screen LCD display capable of delivering screen resolutions of 1920 x 1200.  Initially the screen looks like a lot of real estate for a notebook, and it is, but once you start gaming it becomes clear that a large screen makes gaming a more immersive experience.

Everything feels well laid out on the m9750.  At the front you have the DVD drive, on the right-hand side there’s a volume control wheel, audio ports and a single USB port, while on the left-hand side there are two more USB ports, a Firewire port, Ethernet port, memory card slot and an Express Card slot.  On the back are two video outputs (one VGA and one DVI), the modem port, the final USB port and a coaxial, S-Video in and audio in ports.  At the back is also the exhaust ports for cooling (more on these later).

Design wise, the m9750 is what we have come to expect from Alienware - it has the glowing alien head and ribbed design on the lid.  You’ll either love this or you won’t.

Next –>

November 19th, 2007

AMD's Phenom - For suckers only

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 4:42 am

Categories: AMD, Components, Cutting Edge, Hardware, Industry

Tags: Processor, AMD Phenom, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Intel Corp., Tom, Processors, Semiconductors, Hardware, Components, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

I was quite interested in AMD’s Phenom quad-core CPU, that is, until I read some early reviews of the processor.  Now I’ve come to the conclusion that you’d have to be a sucker to be an early adopter of AMD’s new quad-core line.

First off, four cores aren’t always better than two.  Tom’s Hardware puts the Phenom 9500 and 9600 against an Athlon X2 64 6400+ and discovers that the processors are overall 8.4% and 4.3% slower than the 6400+.  AMD have put time, effort and truck loads of dollars into developing a quad-core processor that really isn’t that goodNow OK, the 6400+ runs at 3.2GHz while the Phenom 9500 is only 2.2GHz and the Phenom 9600 is 2.3GHz but this goes to show how low AMD have aimed with the Phenom processors.  Applications that can take advantage of the four cores (such as Pinnacle Studio 11, DivX and Adobe Premiere Pro) do show a gain, but if you’re gaming, overall performance sucks.  Performance of audio and office applications is also very poor.

OK, but isn’t this the case for all quad-core CPUs?  No.  If instead of giving your money to AMD, you instead buy an Intel Q6600 (Intel’s smallest quad-core) you see an overall performance gain of 13.5% against the Phenom 9600 and an 18% performance gain compared to the Phenom 9500.  Given this data alone, AMD might as well have not bothered with 9500 and 9600 and just jumped straight to the 9700, which manages to close the gap against the Q6600 down to 9.8%.

The one feature that is interesting is AMD’s new OverDrive utility that allows the system (not just the processor but also the RAM and GPU) to be overclocked through Windows on-the-fly.  The Tom’s Hardware reviewer managed to get the Phenom 9700 to 3GHz which means that it might be Read the rest of this entry »