CPU versus GPU Round 2

THERE’S A long standing debate regarding how to measure the value of a gaming rig. A higher-priced platform will stop you from buying better graphics cards, and vice-versa. Tom’s Hardware Emporium tries to establish who the winner in this department is: Core i7 920 or Phenom II X4 955 BE? Well, when push comes to shove, Don says the Phenom II is a worthy processor, provided it has decent graphics driving it.

Sticking a lot of features into a little package is Toshiba’s specialty, especially when we’re talking laptops. Thrusted Reviews has a Portégé A600-14C 12.1-inch notebook review for your amusement.

TechGage chose to test the HP dv2 12.1-inch ultra-portable notebook, something of a bargain what it packs, but Rob came across some worrying snags while reviewing.

All this time you’ve thought that Intel only made teeny-tiny Atom systems and you’ve been missing out on the joy of Core 2 Quad / Duo in mini-ITX... enter the DG41MJ mini-ITX mobo. You can see it at Silent PC Review.

OC Workbench has a first look at the SUPoX AK785G mobo – no benchmarks – but some details on AMD’s upcoming HD 4200 (not really a 4000-series GPU, but...).

OCIA has a review of the OCZ XTC Rev. 2 RAM cooler, a dual-fan cooler for your overclocking records. With fan speed settings you can set the fans to Hi/Lo and keep the RAM either very fresh, or plain cool... in Connan’s words: “no doubt the cooler does its job”.

Notebook Review has Lenovo’s Ideapad S12-2 netbook (not the Ion version) and the netbook seems to perform well... so long as you don’t get into video playback. Extra-long battery life thanks to the humongous battery sticking out the back.

Another netbook, the Asus Eee PC 1005HA “Seashell” deserved some page time on Legit Reviews. Asus claims the Seashell can achieve a 10.5-hour battery life on a 6-cell battery, which is quite a feat. It’s also easy to upgrade.

Laptop Magazine has a mobile makeover and adds some travel-friendly accessories to the mix. Remote boot your PC? Stream your favourite TV shows on the move? LaptopMag has ‘em.

Hardware Geeks tests the NZXT Cryo S, a cooler base for your notebook/netbook. Two 120mm fans feeds some extra air into your lappie.

Extreme Tech has a review of the Falcon Northwest FragBook DRX, a > $6,449 laptop configuration that packs an Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition processor and three storage drives (including one SSD).

Guru of 3D pubbed its PC Buyers Guide Summer 2009 Edition. You’ve got three types of configurations: Low-end (AMD), midrange (AMD or Intel) and high-end (Intel). Something for everyone.

The Nexus Edge is a full-tower ATX case made of aluminium and stuffed with wavy foam to absorb noise. It also includes a ton of fans to keep airflow high and temperatures down.

Bjorn 3D tests the Prolimatech Megahalems cooler. Victor is stunned by the newcomer’s performance that obliterates the competition. Pricey, yes, powerful... definitely.

Benchmark Reviews tests the Asus My Cinema EHD3-100 HDTV/FM Tuner PCIe x1 card.  Asus was clever enough to make it low-profile for HTPC systems and added a second bracket for additional video output options... well, check it out yourself.

µ