Yesterday's News, Today!

There has been fierce competition in the processor market between Intel and AMD and with in those two segments there as also been fierce competition between the motherboard manufactures as well. If all thing are equal, the motherboard can either make your shiny new processor a stud or a dud depending on how well all the components are communicating with each other. As well, clean & stable power delivery to the processor is just as critical as the communication between the individual components on the motherboard. Troubleshooting dirty or a lack of power to the processor can drive a technician insane. Expandibility is another area that is crucial to system builder and entheusaists. The ability to load up the motherboard with components and add-in cards is not lost on modern motherboards. The layout of most modern boards can facilitate most, if not all, of the expansion slots being populated. Which give the board more flexibility and in some cases allows the user to use the board for a longer period of time as they can add newer technology, such as USB 3.0 expanison cards for example.

Today we are taking a look at Gigabytes entry in to the AMD A85X arena. The F2A85X-UP4 is a full size ATX motherboard that features the AMD FM2 socket.

Overclocking a your computer can be a daunting task. There's always the fear of heat issues, pushing the processor too hard, not knowing what settings works, and other long term effects. In the recent years, the newest generation processors have made the process very easy to overclock -- with a great enthusiast communities as support. That being said, even certain motherboards BIOS have made the process in increasing performance simple as well. Today, we'll be taking a look at one of the most important components to maintaining your overclock -- the CPU cooler. Without proper cooling to your CPU, your system will not last and is important to include performing CPU coolers to handle overclocking. There are two different approaches to cool your system, air and liquid cooling. Each has their own advantages to the other. The Frio Extreme is newest air cooler by Thermaltake, the biggest attraction being the dual PWM fans used. Does the latest iteration of the Frio series make it worth it?

With the plethora of USB devices available today the USB ports fill up fast. Devices such as Web cameras, thumb drives, external hard drives, scanners and printers, one can quickly run out of ports. Especially the newest USB port, USB 3.0. Most motherboard manufactures have started putting at least four USB 3.0 ports on the motherboard with a mix of options for USB 2.0 & 1.1. So with all the peripherals available today, it's easy to see how quickly USB ports can be taken up. There are a few options that will allow the user to add more USB ports, either add a USB hub or install an add-in card.

SilverStone hits back with the new SST-EC04-P PCI Express (x1) card. The card features four USB 3.0 ports, two on the back of the card and two are accessed through the 19 pin front panel connector that is found in most cases released in the last year or so.

When I check out the newest cars at car shows,  I tend to look at the specifications, design and everything about it I can. Certain cars change a persons perception about you, like if you owned a Ferrari, versus  a Honda. This give gives off a certain persona that is your choice to make. That said being said, computers have come a long way in not just delivering performance, but also on aesthetics and convenience for the computer enthusiast. So, with the full tower case we have for review today, does the Thermaltake Armor Revo Snow Edition able perform, while attractive to enthusiasts?

Looking for a full tower case can be a bit challenging. Usually, you would like to have a lot of space to work with, as many already allow you to do. Other than that, price, advanced features, cooling options, or the look/design are categories that can attract buyers. Today, we have the In Win GRone in white for review, let’s take a look and see what does it offer for your next full tower case build!