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Thecus N2200XXX Review

Posted by hardware addict - September 13, 2011 - Posted in: Processors - Permalink

It is a double bay Thecus N2200XXX box we’ve seen in the first manufacturer to get rid of ARM processors in Marvell common model or base for Intel Atom CPU 1.8 GHz fully mature D525. That has a price – is worth £ 308. Thecus N2200XXX big and strong – but should provide a significant grunt when it comes to file transfers, and many tasks simultaneously, such as downloading and streaming media.

It also houses a whopping 1 GB of DDR3 memory – double that of Synology Disk Station DS211 +. Two Gigabit Ethernet ports are also eligible, as is plenty of flexibility when it comes to sharing data between multiple networks or chaining more than a NAS box together.

As expected of a modern NAS boxes, front fascia equipped with 2 USB ports and SD card reader, while the rear panel has two USB 2 and eSATA ports. Meanwhile, up to two 3 TB hard drives can be installed with two hot-swap bay lock. Most of the bases covered, then, although we still like to see USB 3 is inserted into the NAS box price.

The operating system is elegant and simple, but very lazy. Default attributes are rare, as Thecus offers free add-on module for Thecus N2200XXX. It includes a BitTorrent client, mail server and a backup program – in the background, a lot of features included in other NAS boxes as standard, although given the option of keeping things as understood according . Fortunately, the FTP server and installed iTunes media and backup software, support for iSCSI and very useful ability to mount an ISO image file.

In our test file transfers, Thecus N2200XXX managed to be as spectacular as disappointing. Reading and writing speed in our test of large files around 100MB/sec – faster than we’ve ever seen, and can not be limited by Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB SATA hard disk that uses 3 Gbps. However, the fight Thecus N2200XXX our small test files, managing just read speed of 16.3MB/sec and write speed 24.5MB.sec.

Thecus N2200XXX Test Method

Each device connected to Gigabit LAN has a maximum speed of 125MB/sec read and write. However, as a controller chip on the SSD has a great influence on the speed of the drive, the same also applies to the NAS box. As we are used to store many small files and large video files, two folders are used 5GB (the total of small files, and others are full of large files) to video, to measure the flexibility of each box .

Our test is to write each one separately NAS box, and then read them. Small file folder filled with 10,000 files, including photos, Word documents and a short video, while a folder of large files consists of three video of 1.7 GB.

We install two hard drives of 1TB Samsung SpinPoint F3 each NAS box, which is connected to a Netgear Gigabit Ethernet switch for all tests in reading and writing. The time taken to move any folder in seconds, and use these results to the work of the average transfer rate. To read and write to the NAS box, using a PC around an Asus P7H55-M motherboard, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and Intel Pentium overclocked to 4GHz important G6950 CPU.

Thecus N2200XXX Conclusion

To save large files like movies in HD, Thecus N2200XXX is a monster. However, in other situations, especially when dealing with a large number of small files such as MP3s or photos, the groans of the Atom CPU and 1GB of DDR3 memory is not paid.

Sa Thecus N2200XXX not to justify a higher price, quieter, and easier to use the DS211 + NAS remains our choice.

Matrix GTX580 review | Fastest graphics card

Posted by hardware addict - September 12, 2011 - Posted in: Graphics Card - Permalink

Matrix GTX580

Matrix GTX580 is the GeForce GTX 580 GPU 1.5GB is currently the fastest, most manufacturers offer a heavily modified graphics card, super-fast version. We have seen MSI N580GTX-ray Edition comes Xtreme GPU frequency of 980MHz, and now their turn to present your Platinum Matrix Asus Matrix GTX580.

285 mm in length Matrix PCB gets into a bank 18 + 1 phase VRM with 16 powering phase focuses on GPU and two 1.5GB powering Matrix GTX580 of GDDR5 memory. Phase is very dense, NEC Tokin Proadlizer connected to the back of the GPU. Proadlizer replace silver small capacitors used in cheap Matrix GTX580 to soften the noise signal and potentially improve the ability of overclocking.

PCB layer cold three large spaces, part of Asus DirectCU column II. Light colors also change depending on GPU load x1y1z, the red light 100 percent load, then switch to blue, then purple, before changing to green when idle. It provides a useful reference for how difficult the game is to push the Matrix GTX580. A backlit percent 100 fans are also installed.

Unlike MSI N580GTX, the array also sports 1.5GB GDDR5 memory standard. Although the amount of standard memory, however, Asus is equipped Matrix GTX580 back somewhat intelligent. Matrix Factory Overclock is a bit like that. GPU core frequency of breathing 816MHz only 5 percent of the stock frequency of 772MHz and memory frequency is set to 1, 002MHz (4008 MHz effective). Meanwhile, in the event that caused the problem overclocking safe mode button on the back IO VBIOS deploy a backup, returns to the original speeds clock.

Matrix GTX580 Performance Analysis

Matrix GTX580 1.5GB GTX 580 GPU is very powerful, and the factory overclock Matrix, it’s faster. Dirt 2 x1y1z achieved a speed of at least 78fps, even at 2560 x 1, 600 with 4x aa. Black Ops is the same teacher, with a minimum speed of 78fps at 2560 x 1, 600 with 4x AA – 5 percent increase in the stock GTX 580 1.5GB.

Arma II proved a challenge even harder, with the matrix produces a minimum speed of 27fps at 2560 x 1, 600 with 4x aa. This was an increase of 4 percent in shares 1.5GB GTX 580, although the GTX 590 is offering 3GB 38 percent increase in performance. Meanwhile, Bad Company 2, Matrix offers a yield of 6 percent more than the usual Gtx 580 x1y1z 1.5GB, with a minimum speed of 55fps in 1, 920 x 1, 080 with 4x aa.

II DirectCU cooling Asus is also impressive. Two 90 mm fans Matrix GTX580 everything is very quiet as well, and not sound acceleration, even with extended GPU under heavy loads. Matrix GTX580 the 347W consumption costs slightly higher than the GTX 580 1.5GB action, but it is expected that the factory overclock.

Asus has also dismissed fears overclocking SmartDoctor software to support the new GPU tweak. It allows you to adjust the frequency, speeds fan, GPU and memory voltages, and even change the memory timings.

Immediately we are operating at a frequency 920MHz GPU, memory frequency 1, 15MHz (4.6GHz effective) thanks to the GPU voltage 1, 150mV. However, when it comes to 19 percent increase in frequency compared to the standard GTX 580 GPU 1.5GB is no more than what we expect from a typical Gtx 580 1.5GB, a little disappointing.

Meanwhile, we see a vast increase in the Bad Company 2, with a minimum speed of 64fps.

Conclusion

A base 1.5GB Matrix GTX580 costs about £ 350, so you pay only £ 39 over a three-slot cooling quiet, light show and all the circuits power Matrix GTX580.

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 Review

Posted by hardware addict - September 12, 2011 - Posted in: Motherboard - Permalink

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3

This is especially true when it comes to appearance ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3, but ASRock has really gone to town on awesome-looking ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3. Lost badly blue color scheme, white and gray before (though still used in the company boards more expensive) and instead is a stylish all-black settings. Meanwhile, the capacitor of shining gold in contrast is not likely to offer something extra in terms of longevity and performance, but certainly look good.

The only problem with the appearance ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 is throwing, rather stiff style yellow heat sink that cools the VRM and the southbridge highlighted. They are not bad, hard, of course, but do not have the elegance of the refrigeration boards seen from other manufacturers.

But it is very remarkable. The main feature is the fact that the technique motherboard ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 is the first time we’ve tried to support the new PCI-E 3.0 standard, as its name suffixes Gen3. PCI-E 3.0 doubles the effective bandwidth per lane, providing a total bandwidth of 1GB/sec 16x slot. Sounds interesting, but sad to realize that, despite board admits it can not use PCI-E 3.0 is up to Ivy Bridge board Intel processors and GPU to come.

As a result, you will not see the performance benefits of investment in PCI-E 3.0 now, but I’m glad to know that it has support for standard should be. Extreme4 also has a number of other features of adventure, such as power and reset, as well as reading the zip code at the bottom board. You should also reset the CMOS switch on the rear panel I / O, which is a more convenient location on the PCB.

ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 Performance Analysis

Once we have the common test components are installed, set ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 about racing our test. First is our reference media, which turned out to be a simple task for such board. Points in 1579 to test image editing is good but not spectacular.

The average in our tests proved board video encoding too, before fighting with our multitasking test. His 1385 points, the second is one of the poorest we have seen and dragging down the total points in 1887, disappointing. Game performance has also proven to be very normal, as ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 who clocked a frame rate of 73fps minimum at the speed of action in Weapon II, which is about fast boards Asus Maximus 2fps back as Gen IV-Z.

Given the tendency of fans ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3, we expect good results from motherboard is overclocking. Fortunately, we were not disappointed, because board can start and run our 5.1GHz CPU Titanic – a result that we only see P8P67-M Pro Asus achieved.

Unfortunately, while this overclock was rock solid during Prime95 stress test us, ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 becomes unstable halfway through our test image editing memory work. We tried adding more tension and adjust a variety of other options, but no amount of tinkering can attract motherboard to complete the test.

It’s frustrating, because in a position to negotiate with encoding video and multi-tasking test ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 5.1GHz. As a result, we called again at 5 GHz overclocked – which is still respectable – for overclocking results. VCore 1.47V is overclocked necessary, a PCH 1.17V, VTT CPU PLL 1.16V 1.93V and from. It also establishes the load line calibration board for level 1, which is the highest value.

In this context, ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 performance improved significantly, although still slower board LGA1155 we’ve tested. As the speed of action, ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 to work properly with the image editing and video encoding tests, but the multi-tasking performance are disappointments, dragging down the total cost overclocked to 2628. It also improves game performance after overclocking, but the results in 2D, take is not enough to really board.

Conclusion

We are very pleased to see ASRock making strides to improve motherboards that ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 is like a blessing board premium for improvements in design, has a decent feature set and is a good overclocker too. However, this improvement has not been accompanied by a solid performance, like ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 and P67 motherboards behind the best available today.