ECS GeForce GTS 250

Asus Rampage II GENE

ECS A790GXM-AD3 Motherboard

The Black Series represents ECS’ high-end boards and the A790GXM-AD3 is one of the latest and is powered by AMD’s 790GX Northbridge. Is it any good? Lets find out…

Specifications:

The A790GXM-AD3 is an AM3 Socket motherboard from ECS for AMD Phenom II processors supporting Dual Channel DDR3 1333 memory architecture. The integrated graphics platform is designed from the AMD 790GX chipset, powered by the ATI Radeon HD 3300 DirectX 10 based graphics core. The ATI Hybrid Graphics capability gives full ATI CrossFireX. The A790GXM-AD3 delivers advanced features such as HyperTransport 3.0 Technology, PCI Express® Generation 2.0, ATI PowerPlay, AMD Cool’n'Quiet 2.0 and Low Power Design bring the Green power effect into play.

Zotac GTX275 AMP!

ASUS EAH4890

AMD Phenom II X4-810/MSI 790GX-G65

Today we take a look at two products in one- the new AMD Phenom 810 CPU which introduces AMD to the world of DDR3 and the MSI 790GX-G65 mothebroard, upon which we’ve tested this CPU. The Phenom II X4 8xx series reduces the L3 cache on the Phenom II platform from 6MB to 4MB which will result in a bit of a performance loss, but on the brighter side, it also reduces the TDP from 125W to 95W.

The Phenom II X4 810 that we have with us today is a Quad Core 2.6GHz CPU with dedicated L1 and L2 cahces of 4 x 128KB and 4 x 512KB for each core along with a shared L3 cache of 4MB. Using HyperTransport 3.0 that provides  21GB/s memory bandwidth for DDR3, you get 37GB/s of processor-to-system bandwidth. It requires an AM3 socket and DDR3 banks which the MSI motherboard happily provides.

Lets take a look at the MSI board features next. Full specs on MSI’s website.

-APS is Active Phase Switching is complete function to Control Power Demand with Switching Dynamically, it’s for CPU, Memory and Chipset PWM.
-Real Time FSB tuning- FSB value change in the BIOS instant!
• Unlimited Turning Segments
• Easy Use – Just Rotate the knob!!!
• Turn OC Beginner to OC Expert!!
• Save your time of trying
• Achieve OC goal in short time
• Faster and Flexible and instant
• If BIOS crash, it still can boot from USB Drive
• Update BIOS from USB Drive by M-Flash Fucntion
• Longer lifespan than electrolytic capacitors
• Endurable to operation under higher frequency & temperature
• Avoid exploding capacitors to cause mainboards failure
• A choke is an inductor responsible for storing power and regulates the current.
• All shielded choke could reduce core power loss, lower EMI interference.
• Store energy longer at higher frequency, achieving higher efficiency.
• Help end-users upgrade CPU FSB directly
• Buy an essential CPU but want to reach higher performance
• Skip the complicated BIOS OC setting and enjoy the higher level CPU performance
• equipped additional 1Gbit (128MB) DDR3 1333MHz IGP memory to accelerate onboard VGA 3D performance up to 15%.
• Independent IGP memory can reduce the consumption of system memory.
• Easy connect to front panel & chassis cable
• 2x USB, IEEE 1394, front panel (JFP1/2)& audio(JAUD1) M-connector in the package
• Easy to tell the definition of each pin
• Functions designed with button to be easy use.
• Help power-users tweaking process in-chasis enviornment
• Onboard SATA ports are stacked on the mainboard to avoid mechanical issue with giant graphic cards like 8800 Ultra.

Packaging

This is the first board we’ve received from MSI with their new logo and it can be seen on the 790GX-G65 box which comes in Orange / white theme- a big departure from their grey/dark or green boxes.

Package includes some manuals, drivers CD/DVD, 4x SATA cables, IDE cable, 1x 4-PIN HDD to SATA converter, Crossfire bridge, MSI M-Connecter and I/O back panel shield.

Asus Axe Square

 

We take a look at a premium heatsink from Asus , the Axe Square. It comes complete with luxury packaging, a gold-aureate finish and a silent 120mm fan that Asus claims to produce only 16 dBA of noise. We’re going to stress the Axe Square out by mounting it onto the socket 1366.

Features

• Ultimate Cooling with 5500cm2 Heat Dissipation Area 

• Ultra Silent at 16 dBA and Power Savings

• Amazing Gold-Aureate Design with Luxury Packing

• Extremely luxurious packing box with a limited identification card

• Exquisite accessory with golden-plated 

• High density Aluminium fins and 5 pure copper heatpipes with elegant black nickel-plated

• Copper base and shiny aureate-gold LED shows dedicate quality.

 

Specifications  

• CPU Support:
  • Intel® Core™2 Extreme/ Core™2 Quad (Quad-Core)
  • Intel® Core™2 Duo/ Pentium® Dual Core/ Pentium® D (Dual-Core)
  • Intel® Core™2 Duo/ Pentium® Dual Core (Dual-Core)
  • Intel® Pentium® 4 HT/Celeron® D
  • AMD Athlon™ 64 FX
  • AMD Athlon™ 64 X2
  • AMD Athlon™ 64
  • AMD Phenom™ FX/X3/X4
  • AMD Sempron™ 
• CPU Socket:
  • Intel LGA 775
  • AMD 754/939/940
  • AMD AM2/AM2+/socket F(1207)/1207+ 
• Dimensions (L x W x H): 139 (L) x 138 (W) x 130 (H) mm 
• Net Weight (g): 680 g 
• Heatsink Material: (All with nickel-plating) Copper base + Aluminum fins + 5 x 6mm Copper Heat Pipes 
• Fan
  • Dimension (mm): 120 x 120 x 25 
  • Bearing Type: EBR (Enter bearing) 
  • Connector: 4 Pin with PWM Control 
  • Speed: 1400 rpm ± 10% 

Asus Triton 81

Yep, we’re looking at yet another heatsink from Asus. They seem to be knocking them right out of the ballpark! The Triton 81 will cool the LGA 1366 socket with dual 92mm fans and quad heat pipes. Let’s put it through our tests and see how it copes!

 

Specifications

Asus packed the heatsink into their usual square box with requisite specifications printed on the sides and the ever-convenient carry handle on the top.

 

Inside we found an instruction manual and a small box containing the LGA 1336, LGA 775 and AMD brackets, four small screws and a tube of thermal paste.

Asus Travelite HS-1000W

Not content enough with producing top notch motherboards and sound cards, as well as creating a completely new product in the form of the infamous Eee netbooks, Asus tries their hand at producing a headset. This being Asus, there has to be something unique about this pair and lo and behold, there is!

Asus brought to us their new Travelite HS-1000W headset. Its’ unique selling point is that in addition to being wireless (operating on the 2.4GHz frequency band, like almost every other wireless product in the market today), it also features a noise cancelling microphone and a USB dongle that allows you to recharge the Lithium-Polymer battery built in to the headphones. That’s right; this is a wireless headset that’s also rechargeable, saving you the headache of inserting a fresh set of batteries every couple of hours.

Features

• Embrace the Power of Wireless

o Spoil your ears to a full 20-20Khz frequency range, and deep bass sounds even up to 100 feet (30m) away

o Cancel out background noise for clear voice communications

o Enjoy < 0.08% distortion for professional audio performance

 

• Ease of Use

o No more annoying wires get in the way between you and computer

o No more troublesome non-stop clicking to install driver

 

• Perfect Folding Solution, Ultra Mobility

o Intelligent foldable design best for modern travelers and business people

o Elegant carrying case included for your tote and handbags; fits just fine

 

• Easy Charging

o Li-Polymer battery gives your full 8 hours of non-stop enjoyment

o Charging while listening

o Universal mini USB charging

 

The Package

 

In traditional Asus style, the box is simple and isn’t shy to show off the Travelite HS-1000W’s specifications. It’s also eager to inform potential buyers of the “wireless enjoyments” that they will get with music, gaming and VOIP!

 

Inside the box we found an instruction manual for the headset, a USB dongle, a USB cable and the wireless headset itself.

 

Also included in the package is a small hard case that can store the headset and its’ accessories, allowing for easy transport without the risk of damage, handy for LAN parties.

Asus Triton 85

We review the Asus Triton 85 heatsink, an upgraded version of the Triton 75. The most obvious difference between the Triton 85 and its’ predecessor is that the 85 now features a fan mounted on top of the heatsink.

Features

• Excellent 35% Enhanced Cooling with 120mm Top Flow Cooler

• Quietest Cooling with PWM Function

• Stylish Silver Coating for Aesthetic Appeal

 

Specifications

• CPU Support:
  • Intel® Core™2 Extreme/ Core™2 Quad (Quad-Core)
  • Intel® Core™2 Duo/ Pentium® Dual Core/ Pentium® D (Dual-Core)
  • Intel® Pentium® 4 HT/Celeron® D
  • AMD Athlon™ 64 FX
  • AMD Athlon™ 64 X2
  • AMD Athlon™ 64
  • AMD Phenom™ FX/X3/X4
  • AMD Sempron™ 
  • CPU Socket
  • Intel LGA 775
  • AMD 754/939/940
  • AMD AM2/AM2+/socket F(1207)/1207+
• Dimensions (L x W x H): 137 (L) x 120 (W) x 123 (H) mm 
• Net Weight (g): 520 g 
• Heatsink Material: Copper base + Aluminum fins + 4 x 6mm Copper Heat Pipes 

 

• Fan
  • Dimension (mm): 120 x 120 x 25 
  • Bearing Type: Long Life Sleeve 
  • Connector: 4 Pin with PWM Control 
  • Speed: 1,400 rpm ± 10% 
  • Max. Airflow: 49.039 CFM

 

Package

Asus packed the Triton 85 into a box with a convenient handle on the top. Features and specifications are printed on each side of the box.

 

Inside the box, LGA 775 and AMD mounting brackets are provided, along with 4x screws, thermal paste and an instruction manual.

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