Gigabyte X79-UD3
Today we will be looking at an X79 motherboard from Gigabyte, the GA-X79-UD3. The UD3 represents Gigabyte's entry level model on the X79 platform but if processor price didn't already tip you off, LGA 2011 is an all-around expensive platform. For example, pricing on this entry-level board starts around $250 - more along the lines of what you'd expect to pay for a premium P67 board.

Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1000 W
Recently Cooler Master decided to update their Silent Pro M series and what better name to choose than Silent Pro M2! The new series includes six new semi-modular PSUs with capacities ranging from 420W to 1000W. All are made by CM's favorite OEM, Enhance electronics, feature a single +12V rail and come with a five year warranty. Today we will evaluate the strongest of the M2s with 1 kW capacity.

OCZ Technology Shutters Hypersonic-PC
Over the past few months, it's become increasingly clear that OCZ has shifted its focus more towards its core products, and as a result, the company will no longer invest in things like cooling products, peripherals and so forth. Rather, it will focus on SSDs, memory and of course, power supplies. As I made my earlier post, I had wondered what OCZ's renewed focus would mean for Hypersonic-PC, and that was made clear to me earlier today.

OCZ Vertex Turbo 120GB SSD
Making the decision to upgrade to an SSD isn't difficult, but finding the "perfect" SSD is a different story thanks to the sheer amount of choice out there; sometimes even from the same vendor! Fortunately, OCZ's Vertex Turbo delivers a great blend of performance and GB per dollar, making it well worth consideration.

HIS Radeon HD 5670
The HIS Radeon HD5670 is a very capable card for the cheap price of only US$89 at your favorite online retailer. Although it is not a screamer, at almost half the price of a HD5750, for the moderate gamer, it could be considered quite a deal for a videocard sporting such an impressive stock cooling solution.

4-Way Intel H55 Motherboard Shootout
Right now there are a number of quality options for budget-conscious users looking to build a new computer. The AMD Phenom II X2 processor series, for example, will get you a fine deal of processing power at just $110 for the 3.2GHz flagship part. Combine this with the affordable AMD 785G based motherboards selling for around $70 and you have the makings of a seriously good value platform. However, if you are willing to part with a little more cash, then the new Intel Core i3 series might be the way to go. When compared to the dual-core Phenom II X2 555, consumers will pay about $20-$30 more for a Core i3 530 processor, while compatible Intel H55 motherboards are on average $20-$30 more than the AMD alternative as well. There are a number of H55 motherboards available at reasonable prices, so picking one for your next build is no easy task. Our round-up comprises 4 Intel H55 based motherboards from the likes of Asrock, Asus, ECS, and Gigabyte. With a narrow price range between $90 and $105, it all comes down to features and performance.

CiragoTV Pro CTP1000 Multimedia Player
I’ve taken a look at a few media players here on TestFreaks and most are fairly decent and honestly they’re all pretty similar at least in the interfaces. Today for review I’ve got another one from Cirago called the CiragoTV Pro CTP1000. It’s a media player with HDMI, Component and Composite outputs so you can use it with any TV and it includes a 500gig hard drive for you storage. The CTP1000 also has a memory card reader and a USB port so you can read directly from memory cards, USB flash drives or USB hard drives so you can expand the storage or quickly view things without transferring them to the main hard drive. One thing about this product though is that it’s UBS only for transfers, there’s no networking with this unit, is that a good thing or a bad thing? Read on..

Able Planet True Fidelity NC300B
Able Planet as a company has really piqued my interest, too. They are committed to providing headphones for people with all levels of hearing. The Linx Audio technology aids in this by enhancing high frequency sounds where clarity is often lost in the early stages of hearing loss.

Customize Your Windows 7 Start Menu Button
Windows users have been customizing their desktops in a variety of ways for years. Whether by downloading themes and backgrounds, or using third party applications to change more obscure settings like the default logon screen, many people seem intent on personalizing every aspect of their operating system to something that fits their individual taste. And what better to alter than an icon that's always visible? While we don't mind the Windows 7 Start Menu icon, and actually feel it's somewhat of a leap from the rectangular buttons of old, swapping out the orb for a new icon is quick and painless with the help of Kishan-Bagaria's Windows 7 Start Orb Changer. It even comes with a few examples to get you started.

Patriot Gamer-Series DDR3-1600 Memory Kit
Overclocking is getting easier than ever, and more and more users are finding that they want to try their hand at what used to be an art reserved for hardcore computer enthusiasts. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the Patriot Gamer Series 4GB PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 dual-channel system memory kit, SKU PGS34G1600ELKA. Patriot designed this DDR3 kit to work with BEMPs (Black Edition Memory Profiles) that have been uploaded for use with the AMD Overdrive program in order to make overclocking even easier for the average enthusiast. This Patriot Gamer Series DDR3 RAM is designed to work in tandem with AMD Black Edition processors, but can be overclocked quite effectively in nearly any DDR3 compatible system. Priced at $130, the Patriot Gamer Series PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 kit represents a great opportunity for PC hardware enthusiasts to upgrade to low latency, high-performance memory at a very affordable price.