HTPC gaming on a budget

IF YOU'RE trying to figure out how to get a decent graphics card into your tiny HTPC setup at home, you might want to consider reading Xbit Labs' "Inexpensive Graphics Cards Performance Review". It'll get you there.

Phoronix has an Asrock N7AD-SLI motherboard on the bench. This is a 740i SLI-based motherboard that not very Linux-friendly at all. If you're a penguin man, steer clear.

Tom's Hardware Store is benchmarking the very high end of DAAMIT's professional graphics cards, the FirePro V8700. It's the new professional graphics king of the hill, it seems...

Hardware Logic is giving the NZXT Zero 2 a look over. It's got good looks, lots of real estate for fans and you can find it on-line at sub-$100 prices.  Worth a look.

PC Shop Talk has upped a review of the Jetway NF94-270-LF ICS Atom mobo. The tiny power consumption is impressive, says Stefan, but the system is utterly crap at multimedia.

HIS' Multi-View DVI device is on display at Bjorn3D. This notebook add-on allows you to extend your screen to another display via a USB-DVI plug. USB won't handle a lot, but if you really need the extra screen, it's an option.

Future Looks is ... errr... looking at the Seagate Freeagent for Mac (1TB) external HDD. The drive offers great performance (Firewire 800 included) and the Mac "feel" for you macmanics.

Silent PC Review, being the small form factor computing site they are, are testing the two competing 500GB 2.5-inch HDD big-wigs: the Seagate Momentus 5400.6 and the WD Scorpio Blue...

Inside HW has a review of a cooling classic from Titan, the Fenrir CPU Cooler. Titan's always been a budget company and had some odd designs that were flashier than functional, but the Fenrir seems to be doing the trick.

Eliot at Fudzilla has been doddling around with an ECS A790GXM-AD3, AM3 motherboard. He was a bit disappointed, overall, with the DDR3 performance. If you already have a DDR2 mobo, then don't upgrade, he says.

Legion Hardware is dropping an Asus Extreme NGTX 295 bomb. The card just oozes performance, which is why it costs $500. You'll need a matching 30-inch LCD to do things right.

Tweak Town has a 3x2GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer Blue PC3-12800 kit on test. Expensive, but an enthusiast's wet dream...

We also have a bunch of GTS 250 re-re-re-reviews for you to gaze upon. The GTS 250 cards have polarised opinions throughout the world wide wibble. Despite good reviews, there is a general feeling that the Green Goblin is just toying with consumers. Some sites have even abstained from reviewing such hardware based on its . So, in no particular order, here's our Legion of the Damned/Damning listing:

Tech Gage

TweakTown

Guru3D

PC Perps

Hi Tech Legion

OCC

Tech Report

Hexus

Anandtech

TechpowerUp

Fudzilla

Tom's Hardware Store

Hot Hardware

Hardware Zone

Ninja Lane

Driver Heaven

Elite Bastards

Hardware Zone

Bjorn3D

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