Case Related, Cooling & Power

Thermaltake DuOrb Heatpipe CPU Cooler @ Bigbruin .:. Corsair TX750 750Watt Power Supply @ Ninjalane .:. Aerocool Modern V Display @ TechwareLabs

Kingston HyperX PC3-14400 2GB Memory Kit @ HardwareLogic .:. ATP EarthDrive @ OCC .:. Super Talent PICO-C Gold 8GB USB Flash Drive @ Futurelooks

Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 Video Card 100251SR @ BmR .:. Asus EAH 4850 TOP Videocard @ Rbmods .:. ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB Video Card @ ThinkComputers

9500 GT

Just need a simple card for your display or perhaps to power an HTPC? Then the Foxconn GeForce 9500 GT G96 Video Card is worth a good look.

Not everyone can afford the bleeding edge of graphics hardware, and not everyone needs it. NVIDIA has already made headlines with their high-end GeForce GTX 280 video card, which offers high performance at a premium price. Most enthusiasts have seen so much coverage for the high-level graphic products that it might feel like nothing exists for the lower consumer segment. Benchmark Reviews hasn't forgotten about the entry-level enthusiast, which is why we test the Foxconn GeForce 9500 GT 256MB PCI Express video card 9500GT-256FR3 against the bigger names in this review.

9800 GTX+

Bjorn3D check out the Leadtek WinFast PX9800 GTX+, a card that seems to have a lot going for it.

The new GeForce 9800 GTX+ still maintains all the features and technology of the older card. It has 128 stream processors and supports DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0, second generation PureVideo, three-way SLI, and 128-bit HDR with FSAA. In fact, you can even run both cards in SLI without any issue, and we do intend to actually put them in SLI and see the performance. Furthermore, it also supports PhysX and is HDCP capable.

280 GTX

Overclocked out of the box, the BFG GTX 280 OCX 1GB Video Card is the usual fare from BFG, which is to say it's a damn good card.

Through the last few years, BFG has always been at the forefront of the pre-overclocked craze and with their OCX cards, they take things to the next level. We should mention now that in our conversations with BFG they have stated that creating a highly overclocked GTX 280 isn't as easy as it seems due to the massive amounts of heat generated by the core directly influencing the final overclock. That being said, in this review we will be looking at their GTX 280 OCX which is highest-clocked GTX 280 in their lineup that keeps the stock cooler.

Case, Power and Cooling

Thermaltake Xaser VI MX Mid Case @ Pro-Clockers .:. Kingwin 1220w PSU @ The Overclocker Cafe' .:. Silverstone Zeus ZM1200M 1200W Power Supply Review @ JonnyGURU .:. Thermal Paste Roundup August 2008 @ APH Networks .:. Vizo Mini Ninja notebook cooler review @ Elite Bastards

P45

I believe that the Gigabyte EP-45 Extreme is the first limited edition board that Gigabyte have done.

Overall, I would have to say that the limited edition Gigabyte EP-45 Extreme is the best motherboard that I've ever used for overclocking. The BIOS was simple to navigate, and Gigabyte's Dual BIOS technology really gives the user some peace of mind knowing that if they screw one BIOS up, another BIOS is right there for them to use. The LED readout is an overclocker's dream, because it allows us to see where the issues are if the system isn't booting. For me, the memory was what was holding my overclocking back. I was able to obtain an FSB speed of 500MHz, which is extremely good, considering four threads of data are being sent through the Northbridge at 500MHz x 7 (3.5GHz). I don't think I've ever hit 500 on a motherboard due to some sort of bottleneck of the CPU or memory.

Memory and Storage

OCZ SOE Urban Elite Edition DDR3-1600 2GB Dual Channel Memory Kit Review @ ThinkComputers .:. OCZ Technology 4GB PC2-6400 Fatal1ty Edition Memory Review @ OCIA .:. Thecus N5200B PRO Five Bay NAS Network Attached Storage System Review @ Tweaknews

Storage

Thecus N5200 NAS @ AMD Zone .:. Thecus N5200 NAS Review @ Hardware Secrets .:. Vantec NexStar USB/eSATA Hard Drive Dock Review @ ThinkComputers.org .:. Transcend 2.5-Inch 32GB Solid State Drive Review @ OCIA.net

Motherboards and Video

ASUS P5Q Deluxe - P45 Motherboard @ Mikhailtech .:. PowerColor HD 4850 PCS 2GB PCI-E @ Overclock3D .:. Gigabyte EP45-DS3L S-Series Intel P45 Motherboard Review @ ThinkComputers.org

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