Phoronix - Back in January of 2007 we had looked at Linux
Virtualization Performance as we had compared a running native OS (at that
time, Fedora Core 6) against the same operating system running as a virtualized
guest OS using Xen, QEMU with the (once closed-source) kqemu kernel module, and
then KVM. In this testing we had found that KVM had performed well and won a
number of the tests, but it wasn't the clear winner nor it had won by a
substantial margin. However, the Kernel-based Virtual Machine had premiered
with the Linux 2.6.20 kernel and it has matured quite a bit over the past year
and a half since its christening. With that said, we are in the process of
conducting new Linux virtualization benchmarks to see how these various
implementations compare today.
A Pair of Blazing Fast Solid-State Drives
Extreme Tech - Recently, Imation send us a pair of their 64GB SSDs, based on MTRON's 7000 Pro SSD technology. These are very high end SSDs, so we wanted to compare them to something a little more mainstream. DVNation, an online reseller of solid-state drives, loaned us a pair of MTRON Mobi SSDs. These are also 64GB units, but are rated for slower speeds than the 7000 Pro—but they also cost quite a bit less.
Of course, "high end" and "a little more mainstream" are relative terms, here. The 7000 Pros, as distributed by Imation, cost around $2,000 each, while the 64GB MTRON Mobi drives will set you back just shy of $1,300 apiece from DVNation.
Corsair Survivor 32GB Flash Drive
Techware Labs - Priced at $189.99 from Newegg.com, the Corsair
32GB Survivor flash drive can seem rather expensive.
We've seen that the average read speed is 23.3 MB/sec between all three
benchmarking tests, that the average write speed is 8.36 MB/sec, that the cost
per gigabyte is roughly $5.94, and that the Survivor has a CPU utilization of a
mere 6%. The people over at Corsair even thought to include a copy of True Crypt
to keep our data
safe. When you consider the 200m water resistance, the shock-proof collar, the
industrial crafted aluminum, and the sheer size of the drive, you'll see that
it's worth every penny.
Transcend 4gb microSDHC class 6 Flash card
DragonSteelMods - With our lives
becoming more and more mobile there is a need to take more 'stuff' with us, and
by stuff I mean data. Most cellphones today utilize the microSD card system and
a lot of them can handle the newer SDHC cards as well so you can fit even more
data on them to take your music, photos and even movies with you if you
wish.
Today for review
I've got the Transcend microSDHC Class 6 Flash Card, it's your standard type
microSD card and includes the adapter for regular SD cards as well. I put it up
against two other brands of microSD cards I've got on hand, let's see how well
it performs...
Samsung 24 Inch LCD Showdown - 245T vs. 245B
BCC Hardware - We have just taken a
look at a couple of 24" LCDs from Samsung and put them side-by-side for
some comparison. We've got the affordable 245BW beside the feature-laden
245T and find out which one is better all around. The 245T has a ton of
inputs, and a lot more features but it carries a much larger price tag as
well. Check out our review for all the details.
This
monitor really is a "all-in-one" solution for someone looking for a
monitor that can also double as a TV, and thanks to all of it's options, that's
exactly what it can do. The picture quality of the 245T is very good thanks to
its high-end S-Panel LCD, and when you put this monitor side-by-side by the
245B you really can notice a sharper picture and wider viewing angle.
ASUS Radeon HD 3850 X2 1GB Review
PC Per - "The ASUS Radeon HD 3850 X2 1GB turned out to be a
surprisingly competent graphics card that augments the gaping hole between the
HD 3870 X2 and the HD 3870 in the product stack.ASUS is the only card vendor currently
selling this product design and its likely they will remain so as the life span
of the RV670 creeps along.But with the
aggressive pricing ASUS has put on the product (that hopefully becomes MORE
aggressive) the 9800 GTX from NVIDIA has a new, and very competent,
competitor.If ASUS and AMD can get the
word about this custom ASUS-built Radeon HD 3850 X2 it might breathe new life
into AMD's GPUs this spring."
HP Blackbird 002 (nVidia nForce 780i chipset)
Computer Shopper - We take a look at a version of HP's gaming system with a
propietary motherboard based on the nVidia nForce 780i chipset and, curiously,
using a pair of 1GB ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT graphics cards in CrossFire mode. The
result? While it pulled just slightly ahead of the original Blackbird in almost
every test, it lagged behind somewhat cheaper gaming PCs and was trounced in
every single tested title by equivalently priced Penryn systems.
Sunbeam SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter
Techpowerup! - The Sunbeam SATA/IDE to USB Adapter is a useful little device that any PC enthusiast or repair technician
would enjoy having around. This device can come in handy when needing to connect
multiple drives on different occasions.
What I did not like about the
Sunbeam SATA/IDE to USB Adapter is that is does not provide any protection for
the drive itself, and the number of cables for the unit can make the work area
slightly cluttered. Although I think this is a great idea for a tool bag or work
bench, I think it would be a bit too messy for everyday desk use.
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 and Red Scorpion CPU Coolers
Madshrimps - We have not had a chance to test Xigmatek products until now, their products have been gaining
popularity with the enthusiast crowd. Their heatsink design is unique in the
industry. At first sight it might look like yet another tower cooler with
heatpipes, until you take a closer look and realize what the HDT abbreviation
stands for.
Heatpipe Direct Touch heatsinks from Xigmatek bring the base
of the heatpipe in direct contact with the CPU underneath. We have seen a
similar product from OCZ (Vendetta) but it’s unthinkable that it was designed by
the same person/company as the heatsinks tested today.
Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP
BIOS Magazine -
“Whether you’re
a corporate chieftain or a gaming guru, the UltraSharp 2408WFP will impress. It
has excellent colour reproduction and has almost every modern video input you
can think of, including the all-important HDMI. The overall is extremely solid
and the adjustable base is really accommodating. Images are crisp and clean,
and the level of white achieved is stunning. The only downsides are that black
levels aren’t as good as those on a CRT monitor or plasma, and reds are perhaps
a little too saturated by default. Hardcore gamers should also remember that
the 6ms response time can be bettered if you’re worried about lag time, though
to be fair we didn’t really encounter any issues.”
CoolIT Freezone Elite watercooling kit
Bit Tech - The Freezone Elite will
definitely beat anything you can likely build to fit in anywhere near the same
space by a mile - let alone any pre-built kits. But its price class puts it in
a whole different realm, which is why I built such a big system to compare it
to. An enthusiast is going to look at what he or she can build for a similar
cost, not just what fits in the same space.
The watercooling system I compared to costs around £200 in the UK (and $320 in
the US) – that's about £50 less, and it's quieter and cooler. However, every
time I need to make a change, I invest twenty minutes in undoing everything,
draining the loop, etc. And that's in a case that's designed for it.
New Horizon or the End of the Road for PC Operating Systems?
Ecoustic - Nearly 16 months after Microsoft launched Vista, the
company is still trying to convince some consumers of the operating system's
merit. Vista "is a disappointment," says Shawndra Hill, operations
and information management professor at Wharton and a Vista customer.
"It's too complicated. We had Windows XP and were using it fine. Then
Microsoft decided to provide us with something new. But there wasn't anything
really new" about it.
Dust-Off Keyboard Quiver LAN Party Travel
Futurelook - Sometimes gaming gear comes from the most unlikely of
places. One of those places is from a company normally known for is cleaning
and safety products. Falcon Safety Products, makers of the well know Dust-Off
compressed air cans, has introduced an interesting gaming accessory that will
keep your gaming gear safe in transport. They call it a Keyboard Quiver.
Quad Core CPU scaling vs Gaming Article
Guru3d -
Guru3D
takes 10 modern dual & quad core processors and then fires off a dozen of
games at them in combo with a high-end graphics card. Then they observe the raw
differences in performance with the more modern games. They show & scale 8
AMD & Intel Quad-core processors and 2 dual-core processors in gaming
resolutions from 1024x760 up-to 2560x1600.
Asus P527 GPS Smartphone Review
I4U - "Today we are checking out a smartphone that
features GPS and more from Asus called the Asus P527. This phone has some very
interesting GPS software that comes with the device. The software included with the Asus P527 is very
interesting though with the ability to capture images with the camera on the
phone and append them to a GPS route that can be uploaded to Google Earth. The
software also allows for reporting your GPS position to contacts on pre-defined
lists."