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Reviews Around The Web
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Choose Web Reviews from this Maker:
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Wednesday, April 16, 2008
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The bottom line here is that the ASUS EN9800GTX is a much cooler graphics card that's capable of replacing the 8800 GTX in ASUS' line up. Should you run out and replace that 8800 GTX you already have? Not really. Performance between these two GTXs is a pretty even battle with the newer 9800 winning out a little. Those looking for the newest performance card that offers the best bang for buck are going to find the ASUS EN9800GTX to be a good option. The only thing that would make it an even better choice would be a lower price tag and a decently bundled video game. It's ASUS, so anything is possible.
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Today we are checking out another overclocked 9600 GT. This card is the ASUS EN9600GT Top. ASUS promises a 10% overclock right out of the box and provides applications to let you overclock even more. The only real sore point for me with the ASUS EN9600GT Top is that the custom heatsink makes the card very thick. You can still run the ASUS EN9600GT Top in SLI mode, but you are likely going to give up the slot right below where you put the ASUS EN9600GT Top.
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While the 9800 GTX might not be the revolutionary jump that we had hoped for, it's still a very good card for someone looking at buying a new graphics card with this kind of budget. The first retail 9800 GTX we're going to look at comes from ASUS and doesn't carry with it any extra acronyms such as TOP. With the 9800 GTX in hand we took the time to see how it goes up against other high-end retail cards like the HD 3870 X2 from ASUS and the 9800 GX2 from Zotac. While Dual GPU cards are good in theory, if the application isn't able to make full use of the power then high-end single core cards can outperform them. Let's find out how the 9800 GTX goes against these Dual GPU wielding cards.
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The Asus U6S is a slim and light notebook with unique features including facial recognition and HDMI output.
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Another cool feature is the Macbook Air-esque (I just died inside) multi-touch trackpad, so you can use two fingers to zoom and scroll. While the scroll works in everything, the zoom function is currently limited to Works, StarSuite 8 and Adobe Reader. There's also a new OS option: Windows XP Home. That will make the extra memory and storage evaporate, although it is now open to a wealth of other software and more immediately familiar to non-Linux users. Included in the package are Microsoft Works, Intervideo DVD XPack and Sun StarSuite (databases, spreadsheet, presentation, illustration and word processing - basically a "slim" Microsoft Office). The problem with the XP version is that despite the larger screen resolution, you still have to scroll up and down the desktop - that's not ideal.
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Monday, April 14, 2008
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As far as DVD optical drives go, the Asus DRW-2014L1T is right on par with a lot of the other drives in its class. The LightScribe is a bonus for those who like to label their discs. Most drive noise is created when the optical disc starts to wobble and vibrate. This vibration is transferred to the drive motor and tray, thus making the noise. The QuieTrack feature and Auto Vibration Reducing System seem to work really well, as the noise level from a spun up disc was low. FlextraLink prevents buffer under run problems caused by an empty data buffer, thereby eliminating the creation of CD-coasters. This technology is similar to, and seems to work as well as, other companies' buffer under run technologies.
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Asus did not wait long to introduce its first motherboard based on the Intel X48 chipset. Asus Formula Rampage board is part of the Republic of Gamers series and it is obviously aimed at gamers and enthusiasts alike, but is this truly the best motherboard for the Intel s processors on the market?
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A couple of months ago, I read a post in a forum that stated: "with an Intel processor you should use an Intel chipset", and have seen something similar nearly every day since, including today. I guess that I agreed with it, subconsciously if nothing else. Such was the distance that I had strayed from my roots in such a short time. Which is why when I was informed that I would be reviewing an LGA775 board with an nVidia chipset, I was a little apprehensive, and still am. Today I will be looking at the brand new Asus Striker II NSE motherboard. It is a full-featured DDR3 board for LGA775, utilizing the nVidia nForce 790i SLI chipset, belonging to Asus' ROG (Republic of Gamers) motherboard line. Will the Striker II NSE interrupt my current love affair with Intel chipsets? Read on to see...
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Friday, April 11, 2008
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As the big brother to the HD3850 TOP card I expected it to perform about 10-20% better, and in general that is about what it did. It offers solid performance in today's demanding games without draining you of the extreme amount of money that the high end cards will set you back. And while the card may be overkill for the typical home theater setup, it does offer all the features you would want there as well.
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Thursday, April 10, 2008
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That's right, we're checking out the M3A32-MVP Deluxe/WiFi-AP motherboard from Asus. This flagship motherboard from the well known manufacturer was upon release the first to use AMD's newest chipset. This means full Phenom support, in addition to the slew of features and functions Asus adds to its top shelf motherboards. Here's a quick run down of this motherboard's features.
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Today we are checking out a factory overclocked 9800 GX2 called the ASUS EN9800GX2 Top. The card promises 11% overclocks right out of the box. Every time I look at a 9800 GX2 I am impressed by the performance delivered by a single graphics card. The ASUS EN9800GX2 Top is the fastest 9800 GX2 that I have tested to date and has a very nice bundle with it. ASUS might not be a name you think of immediately when it comes to overclocked graphics cards, but ASUS is working on that.
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Wednesday, April 9, 2008
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It's not too often that the fastest single-GPU available is also affordable, but the 9800 GTX is just that. At just over $300, it delivers incredible performance at all resolutions and also turns out to be amazingly overclockable. It's just too bad that the 8800 GTS 512 is not much slower...
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Tuesday, April 8, 2008
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As a true super power of the motherboard industry, we can always count on ASUS for a little shock and awe whenever a new chipset rolls out, filled to bursting with features and details not seen among its peers. Running the gauntlet from low-end boards that fill out the major consumer market to beastly monstrosities with endless bundles and gargantuan overclocking ability, ASUS can seemingly release new and innovative boards at will.
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Monday, April 7, 2008
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ASUS has created a huge wave in the sub-notebook & portable Internet device markets with their Eee PC. Sub-notebooks are normally wonderfully exotic looking hardware for delightfully high prices. Well, exotic until one looks at the specs. The MacBook air is a great example - it looks like a killer machine until one looks at the combination of the lackluster specs and a price that makes even the most enthusiastic Mac fan blush. As for portable Internet devices, the Nokia N series is the first that comes to mind. Granted, they are really fantastic machines with excellent screens and software, but I am a bit old school I suppose. I still want a real keyboard. The Nokia N810 is close, but like my HTC TyTN, the keyboard is good for casual data entry and not suitable for long sessions of messaging, IRC or typing out documents or spreadsheets. The Nokia and other portable devices tend to also be pretty light on specifications, unless one is willing to pay the obscene price that OQO wants for their sub-sub-notebook.
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If you're looking for a 9600GT, the chances are we can give you a pretty good idea of which one to get. We get a lot of samples, but the 9600GT would have to be one product that we've received over and over again from different companies who are mixing it up with big clocks and bigger coolers. The latest 9600GT to make its way into the labs is from ASUS and carries with it some stock clocks, but also has a mean looking cooler that we've seen before. We've been happy with the 9600GT ever since its interception, and it's managed to receive a number of awards. Let's see if ASUS can impress us with their incarnation of the card.
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