Items tagged with Evaluation
QNAP, purveyor of Network Attached Storage devices large and small, has just recently introduced what it's calling the world's most affordable NAS server with iSCSI. The device they speak of is the single-bay TS-119 Turbo Pro, which we've taken into our labs and scoped out across the pages to come. The device itself is just marginally larger than a typical external hard drive, and at first glance, that's exactly what it looks like. The array of LED-backlit words down the front panel and the port selection around back give away its true nature, though, as this thing is built for networks from the ground-up. For those unfamiliar with the technology, a NAS drive is -- in its simplest form -- a slice...
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Every sign we've seen thus far leads us to believe that netbooks are going to be very popular this holiday shopping season. With good reason, too – they fill a void which has existed since the dawn of mobile computing. Truly cost efficient, rugged, little notebook computers with enough processing power and screen resolution to get basic tasks done – nothing more, nothing less.Many of the large-scale PC vendors have already developed, or are developing, a netbook product for the end of the year. Dell’s Inspirion Mini 9, along with the Asus Eee PC and MSI’s new Wind netbooks appear to be some of the more popular models. One of the more exciting netbook models which has just begun shipping, however,...
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Every sign we've seen thus far leads us to believe that netbooks are going to be very popular this holiday shopping season. With good reason, too – they fill a void which has existed since the dawn of mobile computing. Truly cost efficient, rugged, little notebook computers with enough processing power and screen resolution to get basic tasks done – nothing more, nothing less. Given that pocketbooks are hurting in the current economic climate, these new low-cost mobile systems become that much more attractive, besides being a downright exciting product category. Many of the large-scale PC vendors have already developed, or are developing a netbook product for the end of the year....
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Asus certainly made a splash this year with their line of ultra-light, ultra-affordable Eee PC notebooks and they've been fleshing out the product line ever since with a wealth of new offerings, as the company continues to milk the product's successful brand name recognition for all it's worth.Today marks the introduction of the $349 Asus Eee Box to the US market, but we've had a unit in house for the better part of a month now. Just what does $349 buy you in terms of capabilities and features, in an absolutely tiny footprint? You're about to find out.Asus Eee Box B202 Desktop System EvaluationAnd our video spotlight of the system in action. Enjoy...
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Asus certainly made a splash this year with their line of ultra-light, ultra-affordable Eee PC notebooks and they've been fleshing out the product line ever since with a wealth of new offerings, as the company continues to milk the product's successful brand name recognition for all it's worth. Since their initial release we've seen a number of different notebook-based Eee PC products come to market, including machines pre-loaded with either Windows XP or Linux operating systems. In addition, Asus has even brought out larger models, with the 10" display and near full size keyboard of the Eee PC 1000 series of notebooks, not to mention larger storage options...
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Dell just took the wraps off their latest XPS desktop system for gamers and enthusiasts today and this time around the new systems are targeted at being more affordable. The new XPS 630 we’ve evaluated here at HotHardware, is Dell's new customizable machine with support for NVIDIA dual-GPU SLI graphics, the latest dual and quad-core Intel processors, and a slick chassis design that will turn heads at your next LAN party. Click the link below and check it out...Dell XPS 630 Desktop Gaming PC Evaluation...
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Just in case you didn't catch the fresh link at the top of the page, we’re here to let you all know that we’ve just posted a new article in which we evaluate the features, performance, and overall value of Systemax’s Xeon E5310-powered Endeavor Workstation. Here’s snip from the piece...As gamers and hardware enthusiasts, it’s easy to get jaded by Extreme Edition processors and multi-card CrossFire configurations. They push performance full-bore. And although you’ll never hear AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA recommending against using their enthusiast offerings in higher-end configurations, there’s no denying that Xeons, Opterons, Quadros, and FireGLs belong to a different pedigree. It’s The...
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When it comes to mobile computing, a major detractor for many enthusiasts is their limited ability to upgrade components. Typically, the hard drive and memory are readily accessible in most notebooks, but when it comes to graphics and other components, often times you are locked into the manufacturer's factory configuration or have to jump through hoops just to gain access to certain parts, let alone upgrade them. This can be a major strike against mobile computing, as many users prefer the upgrade potential of a desktop PC, knowing that their investment can be easily updated in the future if the need arises. Some user upgradeable options have begun to appear in the mobile space,...
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Hype, we all know the drill. We've seen it many times before. There's only so much commotion you can digest before you start to wonder if something is as good as it's played up to be. Such is the case with the highly anticipated Asus Eee PC. In fact, this product has been easily the most researched and searched-upon product in the HotHardware.com content database in many years. Some speculate that this new ultra-mobile PC or UMPC, if you're the acronym-loving type, is an answer to the competitive call of the OLPC XO-1 notebook from the One Laptop per Child organization. We would offer that this just isn't so. In the pages ahead, we'll give you a detailed...
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Just in case you're the type who likes to jump right down to the news, we're here to let to let you all know that we’ve just posted an article in which we evaluate the features and performance of Asus’ M2A-VM HDMI motherboard. The M2A-VM HDMI is based on AMD’s recently released 690G-chipset for socket AM2 processors and as its name suggests it has built in support for HDMI. Click the link below and check it out... Asus M2A-VM HDMI Evaluation...
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Good Morning All. Today we've taken a preview look at AMD's new 690 series chipset with integrated Radeon X1200 graphics. Poised at taking on NVIDIA's long since mature nForce 430 chipset, AMD has provided a competitive new offering in the IGP space. Here's a snip from the piece: "It has been a long time since we saw a chipset released under the AMD name and the 690 series appears to be a solid offering in the IGP market. However, it does appear that AMD is still playing catch-up with NVIDIA, as the nForce 430/61xx series has been out for quite a while and NVIDIA is poised to release their MCP68 in the not too distant future. With the promise of an integrated GeForce 7 class...
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Hello Everyone. We've just posted a new article in which we evaluate the features and performance of HP's flagship 92% color gamut, 30" LCD panel, the LP-3065. Here's a snip from the piece: "Although the work efficiency / productivity argument is an important one in the business world, most of us enthusiasts find it somewhat unexciting to think about. We just love having bigger and bigger monitors, especially for PC gaming and watching movies on our computer. We've had the pleasure of reviewing a couple of large LCDs in the HotHardware labs recently, and today we're going to spend some time with HP's new flagship flat panel...
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The Dell XPS 710 H2C Edition is billed as a top-of-the-line ultra-performance machine built with the most hardcore of gamers in mind. Not only does the XPS 710 H2C hold the distinction of being Dell's first non-limited edition factory overclocked computer, it also uses Dell's first in-house liquid cooling system to keep its quad-core power plant cool. The XPS 710 H2C is the most heavily performance-specified XPS system yet, with an Intel Core 2 QX6700 processor, dual GeForce 8800 GTXs, 4 GB of RAM and two Western Digital Raptors in a RAID 0 array, as standard equipment. We recently got our hands on one and we've been putting it through its paces, as it ripped through the benchmarks...
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Hello Everyone. We're writing to let you all know that we've just posted a new article where we evaluate the features and performance of IBM / Lenovo's Z61p wide-screen mobile workstation. Here's a snip from the article... "In 2005 IBM sold the Thinkpad line to Chinese computer maker, Lenovo making it the 3rd largest computer vendor in the world. Under the agreement with Lenovo, IBM would retain its branding on the Thinkpad line for several years to follow. Shortly after the acquisition, Lenovo began producing new Thinkpads. In the mix was the first widescreen Thinkpad, the Z60, that offered an optional Titanium cover....
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Hello Everyone! In case you missed the fresh link at the top of the page, I'm here to let you know that we've just posted a new article where we evaluate the features and performance of Asus' EN7900GT TOP. Here's a snip from the article... "It's the midrange that the most sales will be made in, and where we will focus our attention on today. Asus' latest release in this field is the EN7900GT TOP, based on the NVIDIA 7900GT GPU. As we alluded to earlier, the 7900GT is an updated version of the 7800GTX, formerly NVIDIA's high-end GPU but with a smaller die size and, as result, higher clock speeds. However, the architecture really hasn't changed...
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When AMD launched their AM2 series of processors, the company seeded analysts with test platforms that were built around Asus' M2N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard. That says something about the quality of this motherboard. [H]ard|OCP goes in depth with the M2N32-SLI Deluxe and gives their opinion on what will likely be a popular AM2 mobos with enthusiasts. "The M2N32-SLI Deluxe is ASUS' latest offering supporting the new socket AM2 CPU's . The M2N32-SLI Deluxe supports all current socket AM2 (940) processors including the Athlon 64, Athlon FX, Athlon X2, and Sempron processors. The board supports full speed dual x16 PCI-Express graphics slots, memory up to DDR 2 800MHz speeds officially....
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[H]Consumer (sister site to [H]ard|OCP) has evaluated a mid-range Furia system from Monarch. Unfortunately, Kyle and crew ran into a few problems with regard to how this system was built and configured. It seems a few components didn't match the original order, and a few missteps were made during the build process as well. "We decided to build a mid-range computer with room for upgradeability. We ordered a Monarch Furia - Monarch's 939 pin, 64-bit AMD product line. We chose an ATI, rather than an NVIDIA, motherboard for the sake of variety. We added a 1-year warranty with 24/7 tech support and a 30-day DOA "freight paid both ways" plan. By far the most expensive component in our build...
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If you're looking for a fully configured small form factor system, [H]ard|OCP's subsidiary, [H]Consumer may have just posted something of interest. They've evaluated Polywell's Mini-Box2 939NP, and they seemed to like it quite a bit. The system earned an 8.4 on the Hard-O-Meter. "The Mini-Box2 is a solid, no-frills computer from what appears to be a solid, no-frills manufacturer. Polywell offers a versatile and varied online configurator with two levels of options - catering to both enthusiasts and mainstream users alike. That is something we have yet to see elsewhere."...
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The onslaught of ATI announcements this quarter continues today, with the official unveiling of the Radeon X1800 XT Master Edition graphics card -- the "missing link" necessary to run a pair of X1800 cards in a dual-GPU CrossFire configuration. From the end of September '05 through to today, ATI has announced and released a top-to-bottom line-up of graphics products in rapid succession, in an effort to bolster their product lines in time for the peak holiday buying season. But ATI's intentions aren't just about getting products on store shelves in time for Santa to place them under the tree. In frank conversations with representatives from ATI, we were also told that the company's recent...
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The Dell XPS 400, it's advertised as a gaming machine, but can it live up to the claim? Well, not really. Infact it seems to have some serious software issues, which is one of the last things any gamer would want to deal with. "Even more troubling is that our Dell XPS 400 did not live up to its billing as a gaming machine that is suitable for ANY gamer. The software compatibility issues we saw lead me to question just how Dell tests their products. Certainly a serious gaming computer company would insure their solutions work with some of the most popular gaming franchises on the market. The Dell XPS 400 is a good example of how you cannot just...
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HardOCP ordered up a sweet powerhouse from Puget Systems, running it through their standard evaluation procedures. We're talking dual-core, 2GB of RAM, and high end video wrapped up in a sweet looking case. Better yet, the $2600 pricetag is actually a solid value, beating out a lesser system by $150. "Therefore, in reality, you make look at our article and decide that Puget is exactly the company for you. I must point out that we had a similar system on deck during the testing of our Puget system and it came with slower components while costing about $150 more, so you're getting a good initial value in your purchase." ...
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NVIDIA Detonator 40 Evaluation New Features And Enhanced Performance By -Chris Angelini August 30, 2002 We haven?t heard much from NVIDIA lately, though rumors about NV30 seem to dominate hardware discussion boards. Similarly, even the excitement surrounding nForce2 has subsided in light of newfound graphics competition from ATI. After patiently watching ATI tantalize the mainstream, enthusiast, and mobile markets, NVIDIA has put the finishing touches on a new driver package that bolsters performance and enhances the functionality of its entire graphics family. Will it be enough to divert attention from the RADEON 9700 Pro? Not this time ? ATI has established a sizeable performance...
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