CPU, Graphics & Memory

The Top Five Mid-Range Sound Cards for Your Home Computer

When you want better sound than you can get from a budget audio card, you need to consider a mid-range sound device to power your home computer’s multimedia.

Published by John Garger (20655 pts) on Oct 26, 2009 to
Computer Hardware Articles
Explaining the Nvidia nForce 200 Chip

The Nvidia nForce 200 chip is a small piece of hardware which has been used on various Intel and Nvidia chipset designs for the last year, but has rarely been explained. What does it do, and how is it relevant today?

Published by M.S. Smith (33586 pts) on Oct 26, 2009 to
Computer Hardware Articles
Radeon 5000 Series Specs: Faster, and More

ATI's new Radeon 5000 series has reinforced ATI's lead over Nvidia in graphics performance, but it offers more than raw speed. New features like Eyefinity and DirectX 11 support offer more reasons to buy than blazing speed.

Published by M.S. Smith (33586 pts) on Oct 24, 2009 to
Computer Hardware Articles

CPU Water Cooling Units: Water Cooling for the Masses

Water cooling is a very efficient way to cool a PC, but it is complex and difficult to implement. Luckily, there are some CPU water cooling kits available which provide easy water cooling for a processor. These units are easy to install and effective.

Published by M.S. Smith (33586 pts) on Oct 23, 2009 to
Computer Hardware Articles
Best P55 Motherboards: Motherboards for Core i5 and LGA1156 Core i7

The P55 chipset, supporting socket LGA1156 processors like the Core i5 750 and the 800 series Core i7s, has arrived. With it comes a range of new products, most of which are aimed at the mainstream. Which of these first P55 motherboards are worth your money?

Published by M.S. Smith (33586 pts) on Oct 14, 2009 to
Computer Hardware Articles
EVGA NVidia GeForce GTS 250 Video Card Review

If you really want to unleash the gaming potential of your PC, a high-end video card like this one from EVGA will give you stellar performance.

Published by Bill Fulks (18145 pts) on Oct 14, 2009 to
Computer Hardware Articles

Lucid's Hydra Multi-GPU Chip: How Does It Work?

Lucid's multi-gpu chip is coming to a motherboard near you, and it could revolutionize the way multi-gpu hardware works. The Lucid Hydra chip is said to allow multiple video cards of different models and even brands to work together. How can it accomplish this seemingly impossible task?

Published by M.S. Smith (33586 pts) on Oct 9, 2009 to
Computer Hardware Articles
X58 vs. P55: Explaining Intel's Core i5/i7 Chipsets

The introduction of the Core i5 also saw the introduction of the P55 chipset. Unlike previous chipsets, which were largely the same but introduced a few added features, the P55 and X58 have several major differences between them. Understanding the differences is a must before purchasing either.

Published by M.S. Smith (33586 pts) on Oct 9, 2009 to
Computer Hardware Articles
How Do I Know if My Video Card is Bad?

Video cards are finicky beasts. They generate a huge amount of heat, and with that comes a high risk a failure. The signs of failure tend to be easy to see, however, and if preventive measures are taken, a video card's life might be prolonged.

Published by M.S. Smith (33586 pts) on Oct 5, 2009 to
Computer Hardware Articles
Best Micro-ATX X58 Motherboards: Core i7 in a Small Package

While X58 is Intel's high-end chipset, there are some manufacturers who have made motherboards which cram this chipset and all of its high-end features, including the Core i7 processor, into a Micro-ATX motherboard. Question is - which are worth buying?

Published by M.S. Smith (33586 pts) on Oct 5, 2009 to
Computer Hardware Articles