Ninjalane News

Thermaltake Armor A90 Reviews

Published: Monday, July 19, 2010 - By: Dennis
News Source: Email

Now this is a little werid, but here we go launching a review of the Thermaltake Armor A90 computer case only to find 2 other reviews of teh same case in our news inbox.  What are the odds?

- ThermalTake Armor A60 Case Review @ KitGuru
- Thermaltake Armor A90 @ LanOC Reviews

The Armor A90 isn't a bad case, but its not badass either, aside from the color.  But if you want the latest black case with bright blue (and clear) LED fans, look no further.

ASUS MARS II PCB shots leaked @ Elite Bastards

Published: Friday, July 16, 2010 - By: Dennis
News Source: Email

So when is a leak a good thing?  I'd say anytime we can see something cool and unexpected.

My sources within the walls of nVidia tell me that the company has a gag order on showing dual GPU designs to the general public but given the shots of the dual GTX 470 at Computex it would seem to be loosely enforced.

With that being said here is something cool and unexpected, a dual GPU card direct from ASUS.

If your Friday is proving to be a little boring, how's this for something to spice things up, courtesy of a trio of images that have just turned up in our mailbox.  The images in question purport to show ASUS' forthcoming MARS II graphics board, and they're extremely interesting to say the least. 

Despite the poor lighting and bad angle the shots look legit.  At least they aren't ebay quality cellphone shots.

Antennagate - It Could Cost Apple $900 Million?

Published: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - By: Dennis
News Source: Web

If you have been following any of the iPhone 4 developments over the past few weeks you'll have no doubly heard about lack luster antenna and poor reception in the phone.  Well it would seem that stock speculators are now saying the antenna issues could cost Apple as much as $900 Million in stock loss and repair costs.  WTF?

That number seems a little high to me, especially since some of that cost is estimated based on a stock drop and the expected warranty repair costs.  (which most companies are insured against)  So despite the obviously paranoid nature of this story, and that is written in an attempt to make it sound like "insider information", I'm sure Apple is going to be just fine.

Now for the best part (and only reason I started ranting about it to begin with) the title.  "Antennagate"  It would seem that if you want to get people's attention and somehow add a "scandalous" tone to your news report just add "gate" to the end of a word and make up a title.

For instance:

"Motherboardgate - exploding caps cost companies millions in RMA and thousands of hours in lost game time"
"Fermigate - excess heat and lackluster performance are prime to suck nVidia into a black hole"
"Trafficgate - slight of hand? Or an actual problem?"

Gainward GeForce GTX 460 GLH

Published: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - By: Dennis
News Source: Email

As some of you may have noticed the GTX 460 was recently made public and most every review featured several directly marketing pages from nVidia.  Not a bad thing but indicates that the timetable to get the review turned around was somewhat "truncated".

Out of the many we saw, this one from Gainward stood out as being the best of the bunch, this decision has nothing to do with clockspeeds or performance but rather the sexy red PCB and custom cooler with red fan.

Generally Gainward designs their own PCBs which often pays off with better overclocking and overall performance, however you run the risk of being late to market and generally unloved by loyalists.

The review is in German but the charts and photos tend to speak for themselves.

First-tier motherboard makers launch GeForce GTX 460 cards

Published: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - By: Dennis
News Source: Web

We all knew there would be more chips based on the "Fermi" architecture.  The real question is..  Will they be any good?

The GeForce GTX 460 will come in two versions, 192-bit 768MB memory priced US$199 and 256-bit 1GB memory priced US$299. Most graphics card makers are already selling 768MB version GeForce GTX 460-based cards, while the 1GB versions will start mass shipments on July 26.

Nvidia is expected to launch the GeForce GTS 455/450 GPU, targeting a US$129-179 price range in August and will launch one more GF100-based GPU in September, targeting the US$100 and below price range.

The GeForce GTX 460 is equipped with 336 CUDA cores with 56 texture units.

Given that the 460 runs at the same clock speed as the larger 480 and has some headroom for overclocking, I think the answer will be yes 

Gigabyte 890FXA-UD7 @ Bjorn3D

Published: Monday, July 12, 2010 - By: Dennis
News Source: Email

Not sure any of you have noticed this but, motherboard reviews tend to come in waves based on the CPU architecture they support.  Typically a chipsets are released shortly after a new processor is announced, however that is not always the case.  In some instances a new board will hit the streets for no apparent reason. 

It has been a while since I played with a top end AMD CPU. Sure I've played with a few AMD CPUs here and there, but they were mainstream CPUs and not AMD top end counter parts. Even then, I was limited to what I could do because they were not my personal CPU. Well, my dad picked himself up an AMD 1055T Thuban six core CPU, and I happened to have one of Gigabyte's flagship motherboard, the 890FXA-UD7

The UD7 series is a higher end motherboard that features an upgraded heatsink with integrated waterblock and several other items designed to help with overclocking.  Of course AMD FX chipsets have never run that hot, but when it comes to overclocking every little bit helps.

Asus Ares Video Card Review Round-up

Published: Friday, July 09, 2010 - By: Dennis
News Source: Email

The one thing that all hardware enthusiast love to see is things pushed to the limits.  Some prefer to be hardware tuners and mod up their gear, while others take a mainstream approach and rely on the manufacture to give them something amazing.

It would seem that Asus is the latest to release a lavish and enthusiast friendly product simply called the Asus Ares.  This card is really nothing more than a HD 5970 with twice the ram and slightly higher clock speed.  Sounds like the perfect video card right? If you've got 1200 bux to spend, it might be.

Here are some reviews from around the web

- OC3D: ASUS Ares Review
- ASUS ARES 4 GB @ techPowerUp
- ASUS ARES CrossFire @ techPowerUp
- ASUS ARES 4GB Limited Edition Video Card Review @ Legit Reviews
- ASUS ARES 4GB Limited Edition Graphics Card @ HardwareHeaven
- ASUS ROG ARES: God of War graphics card unleashed @ Hexus
- Asus ARES Dual Radeon HD 5870 4GB Review @ HotHardware

So do you think this card is worth 1200 bones? Sound off in the Ninjalane Message Forum

Foxconn Inferno Katana GTI Review @ TweakPC

Published: Wednesday, July 07, 2010 - By: Dennis
News Source: Email

TweakPC.de has posted a short review of a Foxconn motherboard that almost never was, the Quantum Force Inferno Katana.  Foxconn has been pretty quiet lately in regards to new motherboard developments but sources tell us a new board is coming soon based on the Intel P67.

There are some interesting mainboards with P55 chipset. One of them is the Foxconn Inferno Katana GTI.

Be sure to check out our articles and reviews of the Inferno Katana and how large rumor sites destoryed the hopes and dreams of a small channel division of Foxconn.

(well not really, but they did cause a stir and ultimately damaged the reputation of the otherwise healthy and innovative channel sales division of Hon Hai).

Cooler Master Storm Scourt Case Review @ BURNED iN

Published: Wednesday, July 07, 2010 - By: Dennis
News Source: Email

The Cooler Master Storm series is one of the few premier gaming brands to encompass high quality chassis and peripherals under the same umbrella and keep a common theme across them all.  

Burned in has posted their review of the Storm Scout, as some of you know the Scout happens to be one of the smaller gaming cases in the Storm line-up designed for LanParty gaming and portability.  As many of you know carrying a large case to and from a LanParty and quickly turn disastrous so to address this Cooler Master made the Scout slightly smaller and included convenient carrying handles.  

Be sure to check out our review of the Cooler Master Storm Scout, its a rather old review but still relevent.   

EVGA GTX 400 Series High-Flow Exhaust Bracket Review @ Legit Reviews

Published: Monday, July 05, 2010 - By: Will
News Source: Email

I thought this was a joke when I first saw the title to this bracket review, but it is honestly a real product. It even goes so far as to lower temps by an extremely small amount. I guess every degree counts on these hot running GTX 480.

"EVGA recently announced that they have begun to sell their NVIDIA GeForce GTX 400 Series High-Flow Video Card Exhaust Bracket that is said to lower GPU temperatures by up to 5C. Lowering your video card temperatures by up to 5C for under $10 doesn't sound like a bad idea. All you need to do is remove a few screws and the bracket can be switched out quickly without having to worry about voiding the cards warranty. The question that we have to figure out is if the NVIDIA reference design exhaust bracket really that restrictive?"

Just go watercooling!

NL: PC Game Reviews Roundup

Published: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - By: Will
News Source: Email

OMG! OMG! They compare a game to the most awesomeness reckless driving game ever in one of these PC game reviews.

 Blur - Twisted Metal Meets Need for Speed? @ Techgage

"Are you craving a racing game but can't ignore your innate desire to just blow things up? If so, Bizarre Creations' Blur might be just what you're looking for. It two awesome things, destruction and speed, and results in a title that's full of eye candy, a good online mode, and a difficulty level that's sure to challenge even the most hardcore racer." 

Singularity (PC) Review @ KitGuru gaming

"If you like your action games ‘mindless and fun' then Singularity should tick enough boxes to demand your interest. There are no deep, ethical situations you will need to deal with - this is all about gung ho combat ... taking out hideous enemies with a plethora of weaponry while bending time to your whim." 

Did you guess which one?

NL: Happy 4th of July

Published: Sunday, July 04, 2010 - By: Will
News Source: Ninjalane

Ninjalane wants to tell everyone to have a safe and fun 4th of July.

MSI R5670 Cyclone 1G review @ Guru3D

Published: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - By: Will
News Source: Email

MSI looks to have another rockin card with some real overclocking potential. So far they have been on a real streak with creating some awesome video cards. Let's see if they really do hit 1Ghz on this Radeon 5670.

"Today a review on what is probably the most overclockable card (on air) in the world. We test the MSI R5670 Cyclone 1G.

This is a sub 100 USD graphics card that certainly is not a card with a lot of muscle, but for low-level and not too demanding gaming, it can suffice. MSI decided to redesign the board a little bit, slapped a Cyclone cooler on the GPU, ditched their high-end 'military class' components on it, equipped it with some faster memory and bam... you've got yourself a product that can be tweaked into the stratosphere.

1GHz ?! Not an issue my dear Watson."

I want to play with one real bad now.

ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 Motherboard Review @ Bigbruin

Published: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - By: Will
News Source: Email

The Intel X58 chipset would seem to be getting long in the tooth, but it is still going strong for motherboard manufactures. With that being known they have to at least give buyers some of the new features like USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s that is on the competitions chipsets.Let's read what else Asus was able to bring to the plate.

"The overclocking features of the ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 motherboard should appeal to gamers, but the multi-GPU support has to be the key to that market. With support for NVIDIA's SLI and AMD's CrossFireX using up to three cards, the only excuse for poor performance in games might be between the keyboard and the chair."

Wow it is getting long in the tooth, but still very awesome.

XSPC Rasa CPU Water Block @ PureOverclock

Published: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - By: Will
News Source: Email

Watercooling is getting to be very mainstream anymore, but this is not a horrible thing for we get better waterblocks at lower prices. Here is the XSPC new waterblock that looks to be a great value. So let's read to see if it is.

"XSPC's last CPU water block was released almost two years ago, and it has been a long time coming in waiting to see a new block from them, but it's now here. The name? The XSPC Rasa. Is the Rasa a state-of-the-art CPU water block that can compete with today's popular blocks? Not ones to shy away from pure performance comparison results, we'll find out as we pit the Rasa against several other top blocks on the market."

I'm very interested in this.

Gigabyte HD 5770 Super Overclock (GV-R577SO-1GD) @ Bjorn3D

Published: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - By: Will
News Source: Email

Ninjalane has looked at the Batmobile Radeon 5770 version from Gigabyte, but now they have a Super OverClocked version. The Batmobile was awesome for clocking without needing any kind voltage tweaks what so ever. The SOC version might even go further which just makes us all giddy like little school girls. 

"I do not know about you but sometimes when I go shopping for computer hardware, I prefer to find a product that is factory overclocked. Part of the reason for choosing factory overclocked hardware is that it saves me the trouble of spending hours of testing the best overclocking setting that can be attained. Factory overclocked hardware also has advantage of carrying the full warranty at the overclocked setting, and often comes with a better cooling solution.

Overclocking a current graphic card is not too hard but it is just easier to choose an overclocked card if the price difference is not too big. For mainstream users, the AMD Radeon HD 5770 is the best card on the market at approximately $150. The card offers impressive performance at resolution up to 1920x1200 with plenty of features. While the card may not be faster than the older generation HD 4870, it does carries something that the older card does not have: full DirectX 11 and Eyefinity support. There are many factory overclocked HD 5770 cards that are available and we have reviewed a couple of them already: Sapphire 5770 Vapor X and MSI R5770 HAWK. Gigabyte is the latest company that offers an overclocked HD 5770 that the company is putting their Super Overclocked branding on."

Okay, well some of the guys at Ninjalane get giddy.

NVIDIA’s 3D Vision Surround: A Game Changing Experience? @ Hardware Canucks

Published: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - By: Will
News Source: Email

3D gaming is a very cool ticket item to try out. The glasses can be annoying though, but it is a very cool experience. I've played a few games with it and think it is worth a try for anyone. NVidia 3D Vision Surround has real potential for being super awesome.

"After some initial delay's NVIDIA's 3D Vision Surround is finally read for prime time. With it, they are looking to usher in a new era for multi monitor gaming by essentially following in ATI's footsteps and adding in their patented out of screen 3D effects with 3D Vision. In this article we take a closer look at NVIDIA's surround gaming technologies and put them to the test."

Those glasses though is a tough item to get used to.

Cooler Master V6 and V6GT Announced Today

Published: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - By: Dennis
News Source: Ninjalane

The Cooler Master V6 and V6 GT are officially released today, despite being one of the most popular heatsinks to be shown at Computex.  In fact there wasn't an EVGA SR-2 shown without a V6 GT or Kingpincooling container attached. 

Be sure to check out our review of the Cooler Master V6 GT and some of the others from around the web.

- Cooler Master V6 GT CPU Cooler @ TweakTown
- Cooler Master V6GT @ LanOC Reviews
- Cooler Master V6GT @ PureOverclock

For the budget minded folks this cooler is rumored to retail for about $70 US which makes it a great value considering how much heat this thing can handle.

Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD9 motherboard meets four-way Radeon HD 5870 CrossFire @ Hexus

Published: Monday, June 28, 2010 - By: Will
News Source: Email

Gigabyte has taken the enthusiast by storm with the new line up of large motherboards made for overclocking and lots of GPU power. Let's see what these guys have to say about the board and what it can do.

"Gigabyte's most extreme motherboard promises "blazing-fast frame rates" from four-way GPU configurations. We put the claim to the test."

I am getting into the XL ATX motherboard standard.