Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar" class="aligncenter" height="212" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Tablets/Samsung%20Galaxy%20Tab%208.9/Tab%208.9/Capture2-470-75.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Tablets/Samsung%20Galaxy%20Tab%208.9/Tab%208.9/Capture2-470-75.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="282" /></div> <h3 style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar</h3> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> This week's we've got a great batch of reviews for you as well as lots of hands on reviews including the new Motorola Atrix 2 and Nokia's new Lumina 800.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> In full reviews, tablets are also prevalent this week - we've got the rather fine new Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 as well as the Asus Eee Pad Slider review.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> And for camera fans, there's the super new Nikon J1. Read on to check out all this week's reviews from TechRadar.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Samsung's attitude to the tablet market has been to throw so much mud at the Android wall that at least some of it sticks. It's got its Android 2.3 7-incher, the wonderful 10.1-inch flagship, the beautiful forthcoming 7.7-inch model and this here 8.9-inch masterpiece. By having all bases covered elegantly, Samsung is well placed to work out where the sweet spot is and to hit it hard as the market grows.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The Galaxy Tab 8.9 is essentially the same as the 10.1 only it's slightly smaller, thinner and lighter. So it's pretty good then, and perfect for you if 10.1-inches is not quite portable enough for you to be lugging around.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Asus Eee Pad Slider review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> It's been a long time coming, but the Slider really is a brilliant device. While Samsung is going for the traditional tablet look, Asus is trying something a little different. The Transformer had a brilliant keyboard dock, while the Slider has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It's ideal then for use on the go, and typing out emails or documents is made easier by the physical tapper.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The screen is brilliant too, and Android 3.2 never looked so good on any device. A real stunner. Your only challenge now is to actually find one - stock is hard to come by at the moment, so if you see one somewhere you'd better snap it up quick!</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> BlackBerry Curve 9360 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> We have to say that we're really impressed with the BlackBerry Curve 9360. More so than the Bold 9900, in fact. This is the first time we've really felt that a Curve device has been given all the bells and whistles of more premium handsets, and we think the Curve 9360 will be a best seller for RIM.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> It's aimed squarely at those who are either on a budget and want a BlackBerry but without the size/price tag of the excellent Bold 9900, or those who are slightly younger. This is a model we can see in the clutches of many a teenager over the next few months, and with its reasonable price tag - £280 SIM-free or free on a £25 per month contract - it's likely to fit that mould perfectly.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Nikon J1 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> While the Nikon J1 is easy to get to grips with, a high-quality touchscreen would make its handling a little slicker and speed up AF point selection. An articulated screen would make composing from unusual angles easier as well. Image quality from the Nikon J1 is good, competing well with the average compact camera and approaching that of entry-level DSLRs. In summary, the J1 provides a good introduction to interchangeable lens cameras, although it lacks some of the fun features such as in-camera filter effects seen on other offerings</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Toshiba 55WL863B review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Toshiba's first real stab at introducing some of its CEVO processing power into its UK TVs isn't without its flaws, but it's still a very nice TV overall. While there's a nagging sense that Toshiba could perhaps have used its CEVO Engine processing a bit more overtly in the 55WL863, it's still the case that the system has helped Toshiba deliver a really good TV that deserves a place at the top table of TV quality this year.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <img alt="Toshiba 55wl863b" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Toshiba%2055WL863B/Toshiba55WL863_front-420-100.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/Review%20images/TechRadar/Home%20Entertainment/Toshiba%2055WL863B/Toshiba55WL863_front-420-100.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="420" /></div> <h4 style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> This week's other reviews</h4> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Cooling</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Antec Kuhler H2O 920 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Desktop PCs</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Palicomp Phoenix Inferno Redline review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Zotac Zbox Nano AD10 Plus review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">DSLRs/Hybrids</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Canon PowerShot SX150 IS review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Nikon J1 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Olympus PEN Mini E-PM1 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Graphics Cards</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-components/graphics-cards/asus-eah-6770-dc-1037132/review" mce_href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-components/graphics-cards/asus-eah-6770-dc-1037132/review" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;">Asus EAH 6770 DC review</a></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Headphones</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Sony DR-GA200 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <img alt="Sony dr-ga200" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20259/PCF259.wired_flow.sony7-420-100.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20259/PCF259.wired_flow.sony7-420-100.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="420" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Keyboards</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Roccat Isku Gaming Keyboard review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Mionix Zibal 60 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Laptops</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Asus N73SV review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Toshiba NB520-10S review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Asus U46 SV review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> MSI GT780DX review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Rock Xtreme 685 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Dell XPS 14z review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Asus Zenbook UX31 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Lenses</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50mm 1:2.0 Macro review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Canon EF 100mm fS2.8 USM Macro review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Mice</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 7 Albino Edition review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Mobile phones</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> BlackBerry Curve 9360 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Nokia 700 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Monitors</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Apple ThunderbSlt Display review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">PC cases</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Antec Solo II review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Sat navs</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> TomTom Go Live Top Sear Edition review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Storage</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPs review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Tablets</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Asus Eee Pad Slider review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Archos 101 G9 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Televisions</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Toshiba 55WL863B review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Tripods</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Manfrotto 055XPROB and 496RC2 head review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Benro A297EX FlexPod and BH2-M review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Jessops Major Carbon Fibre review</div> <h4 style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Hands on reviews</h4> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Cameras</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Hands on: Canon EOS-1DX review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Mobile phones</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Hands on: Samsung Epic 4G Touch review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Hands on: Samsung Galaxy Nexus review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Hands on: Nokia Lumia 710 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Hands on: Nokia Lumia 800 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Hands on: Motorola Atrix 2 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">OSes</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/hands-on-ice-cream-sandwich-review-1036402" mce_href="http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/hands-on-ice-cream-sandwich-review-1036402" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;">Hands on: Ice Cream Sandwich review</a></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Printers</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Hands on: Canon Pixma Pro-1 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <img alt="Canon pixma pro-1" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PhotoRadar/Canon/PixmaPro1/Printer-420-100.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PhotoRadar/Canon/PixmaPro1/Printer-420-100.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="420" /></div> </div> </div>

Review Roundup: This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar This week's we've got a great batch of reviews for you as well as lots of hands...

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Tuff-Luv In-Genius Case turns your iPhone into everything you need

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="In-Genius case" class="size-full wp-image-90902 aligncenter" height="353" mce_src="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7285/10ingeniuscase.jpg" src="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7285/10ingeniuscase.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="In-Genius case" width="300" />The iPhone 4S was announced yesterday and it looks like case manufacturers are all ready to pump out more cases for the phone – not that they needed to, seeing how it still has the same form factor and size of the iPhone 4. Well it looks like Tuff-Luv wants the iPhone to be the only thing you ever bring out of the house with its latest case. Called the In-Genius Case, this multi-purpose iPhone case will keep your phone protected, as well as function as a wallet/purse for you to keep your cards and cash in.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=LXzHtZ8frmw:SxC_OZqe3Uc:qj6IDK7rITs" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=LXzHtZ8frmw:SxC_OZqe3Uc:qj6IDK7rITs" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/3924/96358861.gif" src="http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/3924/96358861.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=LXzHtZ8frmw:SxC_OZqe3Uc:gIN9vFwOqvQ" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=LXzHtZ8frmw:SxC_OZqe3Uc:gIN9vFwOqvQ" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/7186/98775988.gif" src="http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/7186/98775988.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=LXzHtZ8frmw:SxC_OZqe3Uc:V_sGLiPBpWU" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=LXzHtZ8frmw:SxC_OZqe3Uc:V_sGLiPBpWU" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/3563/76201773.gif" src="http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/3563/76201773.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a></div> </div> </div>

Tuff-Luv In-Genius Case turns your iPhone into everything you need

The iPhone 4S was announced yesterday and it looks like case manufacturers are all ready to pump out more cases for the phone – not that...

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HTC October 6 event could deliver Euro HTC Vigor

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="300" mce_src="http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/4121/htcvigor3.jpg" src="http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/4121/htcvigor3.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="HTC-Vigor" width="211" />The HTC Vigor could make its official debut in early October, with the news that HTC UK is sending out invites for a “press conference and party” on October 6. While the company has told us it cannot confirm details about the event – and asked that we not mention where in London it will take place – the language indicates this will be another of the company’s high-profile public events.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Saved for the firm’s more significant launches, and usually announced at the HTC UK Facebook page, these parties give would-be buyers a chance to play with new smartphones well ahead of retail availability. Although the early October timeline could indicate Windows Phone 7 related news, the fact that HTC has already announced its new Mango-based line-up suggests it’s Android that’s on the cards.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Most likely candidate, then, is the HTC Vigor, which is expected to see the company debut a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 HD-capable display. Running what’s believed to be the same 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor as in the new Sensation XE, in addition to an 8-megapixel main camera, the Vigor has been described to Android Community as the first HTC handset to include Beats Audio in its design “from the ground up.”</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Update: </span>To be clear, we’re talking about a European version of the Vigor, seeing as that specific handset is expected to be a Verizon CDMA model.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Update 2: </span>Reader Carl suggests it could be the European HTC Bass that HTC is revealing, though that handset is expected to be unveiled in the US tomorrow.</div> </div> </div>

HTC October 6 event could deliver Euro HTC Vigor

The HTC Vigor could make its official debut in early October, with the news that HTC UK is sending out invites for a “press conference a...

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TUAW's Daily Mac App: Solebon Solitaire

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Solebon Solitaire for Mac" class="aligncenter" height="191" mce_src="http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/1981/solebonsolitaire.jpg" src="http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/1981/solebonsolitaire.jpg" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; height: 319px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 8px auto; max-width: 640px; width: 465px;" width="279" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Card games have been our entertainment fall back for generations. Solebon Solitaire for the Mac brings the quality, small screen experience of Solebon Solitaire for iOS to your desktop screen.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Solebon Solitaire for Mac features 42 solitaire card games in one. You've got old favorites from Klondike, Yukon and Golf to original games such as Ambrose, Provisional and Honeybees -- it's one of the most comprehensive card game collections out there.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Smallware have taken the simplicity and clean look from their original iOS offering and brought it to the Mac. It offers a slick, well-animated interface that avoids the frivolous for ease of use. The cards are large, easy to read and look great while card movement animations, deals and transitions are fast and well done.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> There are no cheats or hints in Solebon; it's serious solitaire for serious players. Some games have options like reverse layouts, the ability to switch on auto play (which speeds up repetitive tasks like moving the cards to the stocks) and the option to disable undo. Speaking of undo, there's unlimited undo available just in case you get stuck. Each game has full lifetime stats, scoring, move tracking and a timer. If you're new to the game there's a full rules sidebar available to get you going.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Solebon Solitaire is a well-executed, comprehensive collection of solitaire card games that are easy to play with a mouse or a trackpad. If you like playing cards in the real world, then Solebon is definitely worth checking out for US$4.99.</div> </div> </span></div>

TUAW's Daily Mac App: Solebon Solitaire

Card games have been our entertainment fall back for generations. Solebon Solitaire for the Mac brings the quality, small screen experi...

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Buying Guide: Top graphics cards for 3D gaming: 8 reviewed

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="150" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20253/PCF253.w_group.msi_560gtxb-200-200.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20253/PCF253.w_group.msi_560gtxb-200-200.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="200" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Stereoscopic 3D might seem straightforward, but you'll need a lot of boxes ticked if you want to enjoy it on your PC. As well as a 3D-capable monitor with a refresh rate of 120Hz, your computer needs a graphics card that's powerful enough to handle 3D content.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> To generate 3D images, the graphics card has to produce the graphics twice, creating a slightly different image for each eye. This extra workload can put a lot of strain on the card.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Most modern cards include 3D capabilities - especially recent Nvidia cards, which support Nvidia 3D Vision - so finding one that can display 3D content isn't a problem. The trick is finding a graphics card that can display 3D without any noticeable drop in image quality.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> You don't want to spend money on a card only to find that the frame rate plummets when you turn on 3D effects, leading to choppy, stuttering movies and unplayable games.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Upgrading from two dimensions isn't the only reason to buy a new graphics card. More powerful GPUs make for better graphics all round. While modern computer games benefit most from a powerful card, other applications will also show an improvement. Video editing in particular benefits from a muscular card, because many movie-making tools now take advantage of technology like Nvidia's CUDA, which hands more processing tasks to the graphics card, freeing up the PC's processor for other tasks.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Getting the right graphics card can make a huge impact on your computer, and we'll show you some of the best.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">EVGA GTX 460 1GB - £139</span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />www.evga.com</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti - £176</span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />http://uk.msi.com</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Zotac GeForce GTX 570 - £260</span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />www.zotac.com</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Zotac GeForce GTX 580 - £385</span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />www.zotac.com</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Asus GeForce GTX 590 - £580<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />http://uk.asus.com</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 - £181</span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />www.sapphiretech.com</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">HIS Radeon HD 6970 - £265</span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />www.hisdigital.com</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Asus Radeon HD 6990 - £501</span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />http://uk.asus.com</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">EVGA GTX 460 1GB</span></div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="EVGA gtx 460 1gb" class="aligncenter" height="315" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Components/EVGA%20GTX%20460%20FTW/EVGA%20GTX%20460%20FTW-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Components/EVGA%20GTX%20460%20FTW/EVGA%20GTX%20460%20FTW-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="420" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Nvidia has had a long history of creating superb mid-range cards, from the 6600 GT to the incredible 8800 GT, and the GTX 460 can sit happily among such illustrious forebears. Its launch price was £200, but you can now easily pick up an overclocked 1GB version for as little as £140.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> If any graphics card can be described as a hero, surely this is it. It no longer leads the market in performance, but it's not as far off the pace as you might imagine from its age. It's the oldest and slowest model in this test, but its price keeps it competitive.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> When you consider that it's nearly £50 less than the cheapest HD 6870, and with performance that is just shy of the AMD card, it's quite a bargain.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Read TechRadar's full EVGA GTX 460 1GB review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti</span></div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="MSI gtx 560 ti" class="aligncenter" height="315" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20253/PCF253.w_group.msi_560gtxb-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20253/PCF253.w_group.msi_560gtxb-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="420" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Just as the GTX 570 was beginning to replace the GTX 480, leaving the GTX 580 on its own at the head of the single-GPU pack, the GTX 560 Ti appeared to take over from the GTX 470. That's a lot of numbers, but it does make sense - especially when you look at the performance of those GTX 460s, even in today's highly competitive market.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> It would make no sense for Nvidia to kill off one of its best cards, but it's not quite as simple as just another transistor-level tweak of the GTX 470's design. The GTX 560 Ti is more of a halfway house between the GTX 470 and GTX 460; it has 64 fewer CUDA cores and eight fewer ROPs than the former.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> To make up for this shortfall in GPU spec, it comes out of the box with the fastest core clockspeed we've seen in an Nvidia GPU since the FX 5xxx series.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-components/graphics-cards/msi-geforce-gtx-560-ti-962535/review" mce_href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/pc-components/graphics-cards/msi-geforce-gtx-560-ti-962535/review" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;">Read TechRadar's full MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti review</a></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Zotac GeForce GTX 570</span></div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Zotac gtx 570" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_group.spread5_1-zotac-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_group.spread5_1-zotac-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> This card represents the second tier of Nvidia's Fermi lineup. It's an impressive performer, and a little cheaper than AMD's top single card, the HD 6970. It has more in common with the Nvidia GTX 480 though, with almost the same basic GPU layout.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The GTX 570 has the same 480 CUDA cores and 60 texture units, but has 40 ROPs compared to the GTX 480's 48. The 570 also has a smaller frame buffer, at 1,280MB compared to the previous generation's 1,536MB. It packs the same transistor-level re-engineering as the GTX 580, though.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> As such, it's a much more efficient, cooler graphics card, and its performance metrics will be almost as good if you're running a sub-30-inch panel.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Read TechRadar's full Zotac GeForce GTX 570 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Zotac GeForce GTX 580</span></div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Zotac gtx 580" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20253/PCF253.w_group.zotac_gtx580b-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20253/PCF253.w_group.zotac_gtx580b-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Let's not beat around the bush; Nvidia's GTX 580 is the best single-GPU card on the market. It held sway over all the others across every one of the benchmarks we ran.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> This is due to the GF110 GPU at its heart. Fermi has proven to be the best GPU architecture Nvidia has ever manufactured, and with this second generation (the GTX 5xx series) it's gone from strength to strength.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The first Fermi, the GTX 480, was the top card of its day, but not without issues. These were the amount of power it needed and the amount of heat it generated. For the GTX 580, Nvidia's engineers went back to the drawing board and tweaked the design right down to the transistor level, tailoring the smallest parts to give the best performance where needed, and the best efficiency where speed wasn't the goal.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Read TechRadar's full Zotac GeForce GTX 580 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Asus GeForce GTX 590</span></div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Asus gtx 590" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20253/PCF253.w_group.asus_gtx590b-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20253/PCF253.w_group.asus_gtx590b-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Nvidia has been the market leader in graphic card technology for so long, when it says it's reached the pinnacle of engineering with the fastest single-PCB (printed circuit board) graphics card it's ever made, you sit up and take notice. It's quite a boast, and it sounds amazing on paper - one board with two of the most powerful GPUs Nvidia has ever made combined on it.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> However, compromises have had to be made to get the chips to run happily on a single card, and to stay within the 375W limit imposed by a pair of eight-pin PCI-e connectors and the motherboard PCI-e bus. That means we don't quite have a pair of the GPUs ripped straight out of Nvidia's flagship single-GPU card, the GTX 580.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Instead of the core clock of 772MHz and a shader clock of 1,544MHz, the GTX 590 houses a pair of chips running at a seriously toned-down 607MHz core clock and 1,215MHz shader clock. The memory clock has been dropped from 2,004MHz to 1,707MHz.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Read TechRadar's full Asus GeForce GTX 590 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Sapphire Radeon HD 6950</span></div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Sapphire hd 6950" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_group.spread5_1-sapphire-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_group.spread5_1-sapphire-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 appears to be the finest graphics card AMD has produced in a long time. In the sub-£200 market, it's as good as you're going to get, and it's a graphics card that offers much more than any of the opposition in its price bracket. The HD 6950 comes close to the HD 6970 and the GTX 570 in its plain state.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The 2GB GDDR5 frame buffer means it can more or less keep pace with Nvidia's secondtier Fermi card, although it lags behind slightly for the most part. It does the same with the HD 6970, but that's to be expected from a card that's so much cheaper.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The sub-£200 price tag is a fantastic psychological coup, making this an affordable yet powerful option. That impressive performance is all down to the Cayman GPU. As we've already mentioned, the Cayman contains the same core as the GPU powering the more expensive HD 6970, though with a lower clockspeed and a few other components switched off at a software level. This leads to a problem...</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Read TechRadar's full Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">HIS Radeon HD 6970</span></div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="HIS hd 6970" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20253/PCF253.w_group.radeon_hd6970b-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20253/PCF253.w_group.radeon_hd6970b-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> AMD's fastest single-GPU model is a tough one to recommend. It's certainly the quickest AMD has released - the big problem is the second-tier card the came out alongside it - the HD 6950.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The Cayman XT at the heart of the HD 6970 is essentially the same GPU you'll find paired in the Antilles chip of the dual-GPU HD 6990. It's clocked faster than the stock specs of the Antilles, but thanks to the Antilles Unlocking Switch (also known as the Screw Your Warranty Switch by those who choose to use it), the HD 6990 can run with its GPUs at the same speed as the HD 6970.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> You can get two HD 6970s for about the same as one HD 6990. So far, so good, but what of the HD 6950 we mentioned?</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Read TechRadar's full HIS Radeon HD 6970 review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Asus Radeon HD 6990</span></div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="HD 6990" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Components/AMD%20Radeon%20HD%206990/AMD%20Radeon%20HD%206990%203_4-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Components/AMD%20Radeon%20HD%206990/AMD%20Radeon%20HD%206990%203_4-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> AMD pipped Nvidia to the post, releasing its dual-GPU, top-end graphics card a few weeks before the GeForce GTX 590. The HD 6990 is the fastest single-PCB graphics card the Texan brand has ever made, and houses two of the cores from its current fastest single-GPU card - the HD 6970.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The Cayman XT from that card has been doubled up and redubbed 'Antilles', and comes with slower clock, shader and memory speeds out of the box. You're not taking as much of a hit in clockspeed as with the GTX 590's GPUs, but that's because the Cayman XTs run a little slower than the GF110 GPUs in the GTX 580s in the first place.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> There is a key difference here, and that comes from the little Antilles Unlocking Switch. Like the Cayman-powered cards that came before it (the HD 6950 and HD 6970), the HD 6990 comes with a dual-BIOS switch hardwired into the PCB. This comes with an attractive yellow warning sticker covering it, which warns you that as soon as you flick the switch, you effectively invalidate your warranty.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Read TechRadar's Asus Radeon HD 6990 full review</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">The award winners</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Most of the cards we tested here do the job well, and upgrading your PC with any of them will give a serious performance boost. However, there are a couple that you should avoid to get the best possible 3D graphics on your PC, and there are others like the Zotac GeForce GTX 580 that stand out from the crowd.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Things become a little more confusing when you consider using multiple graphics cards in SLI or CrossFire mode. This allows two or more cards to work together to boost performance. Although it might seem slightly unintuitive, it can be cheaper to buy two graphics cards to get the same performance as one expensive card.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> If you're really after the best graphics and your computer can handle it, then this is the way to go.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Editor's choice</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Zotac GeForce GTX 580</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The GeForce GTX 580 is Nvidia's flagship card for a reason - its performance in our tests was extremely impressive, and it can handle the latest games and 3D content with remarkable ease. It might be a bit on the expensive side for a graphics card, but it's money well spent. If you have the budget and the space to spare on your motherboard, then a pair of GeForce GTX 580s will serve you well and effectively future-proof your PC for many years to come.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Verdict: 5/5</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Value award</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Sapphire Radeon HD 6950</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> While the GeForce GTX 580 has the best performance for a single card, the Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 easily wins the best value award. On its own it's a great performance card, but when you also take into account the overclocking potential of this graphics card, you have a fantastic product for under £200. Upgrading to 3D is expensive enough, so it's heartening to see such good value for money.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Verdict: 4.5/5</span></div> </div> </span></div>

Buying Guide: Top graphics cards for 3D gaming: 8 reviewed

Stereoscopic 3D might seem straightforward, but you'll need a lot of boxes ticked if you want to enjoy it on your PC. As well as a ...

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Updated: iPhone 5 rumours: what you need to know

<img alt="iOS 5" class="aligncenter" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/Mobile%20Phones/iPhone/iOS%205/ios5_hero-420-100.jpg" width="420" /><br/><br/>iPhone 5 (or the iPhone 4S, as some are calling it) rumours are flying thick and fast already.<br/><br/>Let's raid the iPhone 5 rumour fridge to find the tomatoes of truth amid the stinky stilton of baseless speculation.<br/><br/>But first, our colleagues on T3.com have rounded up the latest rumours in the iPhone 5 video below.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 release date</strong><strong><br/></strong><strong> </strong><br/><br/>This year's WWDC was about software, not hardware, with Apple focussing on iOS and Mac OS<br/><br/>A new report from China later stated that Q3 (which still includes July) is now the earliest we will see the iPhone 5, after the disaster in Japan pushed back supply of key components.<br/><br/>On 20 April 2011, it emerged that the iPhone 5 release date may be September 2011 rather than June/July. This date was cited by three sources who spoke to Reuters. As iOS 5 is set to be out in the Autumn, it's a safe bet that the iPhone 5 will make its debut sometime then.<br/><br/>On 17 May, we reported that Phones4U outed the iPhone 5 release<br/><br/>date as 21 November 2011. We're not sure how Phones4U would know the release date at this stage, though, so take this particular snippet of information with a pinch of salt.<br/><br/>Rumours which surfaced on 21 June suggest that the iPhone 5 is set for an August 2011 release. Speaking to BGR, a source claimed that thew iPhone would feature a "radical new case design" and a release date of the last week of the month.<br/><br/><strong>The iPhone 5 will debut alongside iOS 5 in the Autumn</strong><br/><br/>iOS 5 will ship in the Autumn, says Apple. Could this coincide with the iPhone 5?<br/><p style="text-align: center;"></p><br/><strong>iPhone 5 will be iCloud-based</strong><br/><br/>Apple says it is "cutting the cable" with iOS 5 - just as well, as it claimed the iPad 2 was the first post-PC device earlier in the year. OS updates can be delivered over the air - you'll just received what's changed rather than the usual 600MB download - and devices can be activated without plugging them into iTunes.<br/><br/>You can also now create and delete iOS calendars and mailboxes too, so you really can devolve your device from your PC or Mac.<br/><br/>"You can activate on the device and you're ready to go," explained Apple's Scott Forstall.<br/><br/>"Software updates are now over the air. So you no longer need to plug in to update your software. And they're now Delta updates. Instead of downloading the whole OS, you only download what's changed," he continued.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 form factor</strong><br/><br/>The Wall Street Journal reported that: "Apple is also developing a new iPhone model, said people briefed on the phone. One person familiar said the fifth-generation iPhone would be a different form factor than those that are currently available… it was unclear how soon that version would be available to Verizon or other carriers."<br/><br/>This has since been backed up by reports from Engadget, which state the design will be a 'total rethink'.<br/><br/>Of course, since the iPhone 3G was followed by the 3GS it's possible the new iPhone won't be a total refresh and we'll see an iPhone 4S (or iPhone 4GS) before an iPhone 5.<br/><br/>An iPhone 4S looked more likely on 16 May 2011 after analyst Peter Misek wrote: "According to our industry checks, the device should be called iPhone 4S and include minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support."<br/><br/>However, earlier reports from China backed up the larger-screened, metal chassis-sporting iPhone 5 rumours, so the redesign still seems firmly on the cards.<br/><br/>On 22 March 2011, China Times also reported that the iPhone 5 will feature a 4-inch display.<br/><br/>A rumour we covered on 7 March 2011 suggests that the new iPhone will do away with the glass back and opt instead for a metal back which will act as a new iPhone antenna.<br/><br/>And an Apple patent that we reported on on 7 April 2011 suggests that we could see the bezel put to good use on the new iPhone. The patent describes how visual indicators and touch-sensitive buttons could be incorporated to the space around the iPhone screen.<br/><br/>Rumours that we covered on 3 May 2011, suggest that there may even be two versions of the new iPhone: a 'standard' iPhone 5 and an iPhone 5 'pro'. Apparently, Apple is buying in components of differing quality, and those parts wouldn't be required for a single phone.<br/><br/><strong>A cheaper, smaller iPhone 5 - an iPhone nano<br/></strong><br/><br/>A prototype version of a smaller iPhone is said to exist, built to ward off competition from cheap Android handsets.<br/><br/>Rumours around an iPhone nano picked up again on 13 February when the Wall Street Journal claimed that the so-called 'iPhone nano' exists and may even be on sale later this year.<br/><br/>Those iPhone nano rumours may hold little truth, though. As we reported on 18 February, the New York Times cites an anonymous source who says there will be no smaller iPhone from Apple. "The size of the device would not vary," says the source.<br/><br/><strong>A white iPhone 5</strong><br/><br/>The Economic Daily News is reporting that white iPhone 5 glass is being shipped, with a supplier called Wintek being the sole touch panel vendor for the white iPhone.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 will support 1080p HD</strong><br/><br/>It's fairly likely - given that the iPad 2 supports Full HD - that the new iPhone will do the same.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 specs</strong><br/><br/>According to the Chinese Economic Daily News (via AppleInsider), with the exception of Qualcomm chipsets - which would replace the current Infineon chipsets in the iPhone 4 - Apple's sticking with the same suppliers for the 2011 iPhone 5G components.<br/><br/>We'd expect the basics of the iPhone 5 specs to get a bump - more memory, faster processor, and more storage. The A5 dual-core ARM processor from the iPad 2 is extremely likely to be included.<br/><br/>The specs? A new antenna, 1.2GHz processor (possibly dual-core) and a larger screen: 3.7" instead of 3.5". The iPhone 5 may also be made from a new kind of alloy, or maybe meat.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 screen</strong><br/><br/>In other rumours which surfaced on 15 February 2011, Digitimes is reporting on information supposedly leaked from component suppliers that claim the iPhone 5 will feature a larger, 4-inch screen. Digitimes quotes the source as saying that Apple is expanding the screen size "to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market."<br/><br/>On 23 May, we reported on rumours that the iPhone 5 could feature a curved glass screen. These rumours also came from Digitimes, which said that Apple has purchased between 200 and 300 special glass cutting machines because they're too costly for the manufacturers to invest in.<br/><br/>The iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S will also get a massive graphical boost as it moves to a dual-core GPU - this could herald true 1080p output from the new device, according to our news story on 18 January.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 digital wallet</strong><br/><br/>There's been some speculation that Apple might include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone 5G, turning it into a kind of credit/debit card. However, as Techeye.net notes, "Apple has looked into NFC before" so this might not be imminent.<br/><br/>However, with the tech being inside the Google Nexus S, the time for NFC may finally be here.<br/><br/><strong>UPDATE: </strong>On 24 February 2011, we reported that an Apple patent has revealed an e-wallet icon on the iPhone homescreen. This adds credence to the rumour that iPhone 5 will feature NFC.<br/><br/>However, on 14 March 2011, reports in <em>The Independent</em> cited sources from 'several of the largest mobile operators in the UK', who said that Apple told them not to expect NFC in the iPhone 5. So perhaps we'll have to wait for iPhone 6 for that.<br/><br/>But who to believe? On 22 March 2011 China Times reported that the new iPhone will include an NFC chip.<br/><br/><strong>LTE support</strong><br/><br/>At least one analyst thinks the iPhone 5 will support LTE, super-fast mobile broadband, in the US. That would make the iPhone 5G a 4G phone, which won't be confusing at all. LTE is certainly coming - AT&T plans to roll out its LTE service in 2011 - but an LTE iPhone has been rumoured for a while. USA Today floated the idea of an LTE iPhone on Verizon last year.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 camera</strong><br/><br/>Speaking at a live <em>Wall Street Journal </em>event, Sony's Sir Howard Stringer was talking about the company's camera image sensor facility in Sendai, a town that was recently ravaged by the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami.<br/><br/>According to 9to5Mac, he said something along the lines of, "Our best sensor technology is built in one of the [tsunami] affected factories. Those go to Apple for their iPhones… or iPads. Isn't that something? They buy our best sensors from us."<br/><br/>Other sources have also said that the new iPhone could have an 8MP camera.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 price</strong><br/><br/>If the iPhone 5 is an evolutionary step like the move from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS then we'd expect the price to stay more or less the same, although in the UK higher VAT rates may well mean a higher price tag.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 pictures<br/></strong><br/><br/>A spurious photo of an iPhone 5 front case has been unearthed by a Chinese reseller, suggesting that the next Apple handset will feature an edge-to-edge display. We're not convinced it's a genuine Apple part, though.<br/><br/>On 17 March 2011, we reported on another supposed set of leaked iPhone 5 cases, this time looking remarkably similarly to iPhone 4 cases.<br/><br/>Whatever the iPhone 5 looks like, it appears Samsung wants to see it.<br/><br/>Apple has accused Samsung of trying to harass it, as the Korean company demands to see top secret future iPhone and iPad devices including the new iPhone and iPad 3.<br/><br/>What do you want to see in the next iPhone? Hit the comments and share your thoughts.

Updated: iPhone 5 rumours: what you need to know

iPhone 5 (or the iPhone 4S, as some are calling it) rumours are flying thick and fast already. Let's raid the iPhone 5 rumour fridge to ...

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Palit releases GTX 570 graphics cards

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/computing/upgrades-and-peripherals/graphics-and-multimedia/graphics-cards/nvidia/images/GTX570-p1-200-200.jpg"><br /><P>Palit Microsystems has come out with its own GeForce GTX 570 graphics cards, the GTX 570 and GTX 570 Sonic Platinum.</P><br /><P>Both have the company's new mercury design and dual fans, along with four video outputs, all put together with the serious gamer in mind.</P><br /><P>The DX11 performance of Palit's GTX 570 series is up 25 per cent on the last generation of graphics cards, and the Sonic Platinum has a huge factory overclock of 800MHz and 1280MB of 2000MHz, along with the ability to run DX10 up to eight per cent faster than a non-OC GTX 570, and six per cent faster in DX11.</P><br /><P><STRONG>Dual Fans</STRONG></P><br /><P>The GTX 570 comes with a dual fan thermal solution. There's a PWM fan with an optimized heatsink, offering quiet coolness even in the most demanding situations, and the mercury design fan cover gives contemporary styling.</P><br /><P>The GTX 570 has 480 CUDA processor cores and the architecture enhancement on the GF110 chipset, while he GTX 570 Sonic Platinum is built from the GeForce GTX GPU, and has all the latest gaming technologies on board, including CUDA, PhysX, NVIDIA Surround, 3D Vision and SLI, making it perfect for heavy duty gaming.</P>

Palit releases GTX 570 graphics cards

Palit Microsystems has come out with its own GeForce GTX 570 graphics cards, the GTX 570 and GTX 570 Sonic Platinum. Both have the company...

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Ways to Boost Power to PCI Cards

PCI Express slots require +12 volts of current to power high-end expansion cards. Originally, ATX power supplies and motherboards used a 20-pin main power cable to supply power to the on-board components. The original power supply provided only one +12 volt rail. Newer motherboards and power supplies gradually increased the available +12 volt power connections, due to the changes in the voltage needs of hardware. You must perform some sort of upgrade or modification to your power supply or motherboard to boost the amount of power the PCI Express slots receive.Upgrade the Power SupplyModern ATX power supplies include a 24-pin main power cable that supplies an additional +12 volt line. Upgrading the power supply to a recent model will allow you to utilize your PCI Express slots. Purchasing a power supply that includes a six-pin PCI Express power cable will also allow you to install high-powered graphics cards to your system, assuming your motherboard can run the card.Upgrade Your MotherboardAlthough your power supply might provide an additional +12 volts of power exclusively to your PCI Express adapter, your motherboard might not support high-powered expansion cards, rendering your power supply's additional six-pin PCI Express cables useless.Convert Molex Cables to PCI ExpressYou can use a special adapter to convert two four-pin peripheral power cables (also called Molex cables) to six-pin PCI Express power cables. Converting two available Molex cables to 6-pin power cables will allow you to power PCI Express cards without upgrading your power supply. Plug the adapter into the Molex cables on your power supply, and plug the other end of the adapter to your PCI card. References <a href="http:///" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"A+ Guide to Hardware: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting, 5th Edition"; Jean Andrews, Ph.D; 2010</A> <a href="http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html#pciexpress" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">PlayTool: All About the Various PC Power Supply Cables and Connectors</A> Who Can HelpSponsored<a class="jsNoFollow" rel="http://www.servicemagic.com/ext/3114864" target="_blank">Find Computer, Electrical and Telephone Services Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.</A><a class="jsNoFollow" rel="http://www.ehow.com/print/list_7576730_ways-boost-power-pci-cards.html" title="Print"></A>print<a class="addthis_button_email" title="Email"></A>email<a class="jsNoFollow thinbox" rel="/account/simple_login.aspx" title="Add this article to your eHow favorites"></A>favorite<a return="" title="Share onclick="></A>share<a class="IconFlag1 thinbox jsNoFollow" rel="/account/simple_login.aspx" title="Flag as inappropriate"></A>flag<a class="jsNoFollow" rel="http://www.ehow.com/how_6682566_boost-signal-wifi-pci-card.html"></A><a class="jsNoFollow" rel="http://www.ehow.com/how_6682566_boost-signal-wifi-pci-card.html"></A><a class="twitter-share-button"" data-count="horizontal" data-text="Ways to Boost Power to PCI Cards" data-url="http://www.ehow.com/list_7576730_ways-boost-power-pci-cards.html" data-via="ehow" href="http://twitter.com/share"></A>Post a Comment<img alt="" id="captchaImage" src="/pixel.gif">Word Verification*<BR><a class="SubmitButton Button3a jsNoFollow thinbox" rel="/account/simple_login.aspx" style="WIDTH: 100px">Comment</A> <a class="jsNoFollow" rel="http://www.ehow.com/print/list_7576730_ways-boost-power-pci-cards.html" title="Print"></A>print<a class="addthis_button_email" title="Email"></A>email<a class="jsNoFollow thinbox" rel="/account/simple_login.aspx" title="Add this article to your eHow favorites"></A>favorite<a return="" title="Share onclick="></A>share<a class="twitter-share-button"" data-count="horizontal" data-text="Ways to Boost Power to PCI Cards" data-url="http://www.ehow.com/list_7576730_ways-boost-power-pci-cards.html" data-via="ehow" href="http://twitter.com/share"></A>Related Ads Related Articles & Videos<a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_6682566_boost-signal-wifi-pci-card.html"><img alt="How to Boost the Signal on a WiFi PCI Card" longdesc="http://i.ehow.com/images/ehow/cat/internet/internet1.jpg" src="/pixel.gif">How to Boost the Signal on a WiFi PCI Card</A><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_6132649_upgrade-video-card-hp-xw6200.html"><img alt="How to Upgrade PCI Video Card for HP Xw6200" longdesc="http://i.ehow.com/images/a05/r4/t9/upgrade-video-card-hp-xw6200-60X60.jpg" src="/pixel.gif">How to Upgrade PCI Video Card for HP Xw6200</A><a href="http://www.ehow.com/facts_7556670_do-pci-cards-work-mac.html"><img alt="How Do Firewire PCI Cards Work on a Mac?" longdesc="http://i.ehow.com/images/a07/6j/hu/do-pci-cards-work-mac-60X60.jpg" src="/pixel.gif">How Do Firewire PCI Cards Work on a Mac?</A><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_6667976_install-pci-express-card.html"><img alt="How to Install a PCI Express Card" longdesc="http://i.ehow.com/images/a06/bf/m8/install-pci-express-card-60X60.jpg" src="/pixel.gif">How to Install a PCI Express Card</A><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_6190593_install-video-card-desktop-computer.html"><img alt="How to Install a Video Card on Your Desktop Computer" longdesc="http://i.ehow.com/images/ehow/cat/computers/computers1.jpg" src="/pixel.gif">How to Install a Video Card on Your Desktop Computer</A> Have you done this? 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Ways to Boost Power to PCI Cards

PCI Express slots require +12 volts of current to power high-end expansion cards. Originally, ATX power supplies and motherboards used a 20-...

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Buying Guide: Best value CrossFire and SLI DX11 graphics cards

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20246/PCF246.feature2.image01_1-200-200.jpg"><br /><P>CrossFire and SLI have finally come of age. </P><br /><P>Just a couple of years ago, you were hard-pushed to squeeze an extra 50 per cent more gaming power out of your system by adding an identical card to the mix. And even then, the setup was often impossibly fiddly. </P><br /><P>It worked perfectly with some games, and just, well, not at all with others. You'd see diminishing returns on your frame rate investment to the point where you may as well plump for a big, fat, flagship card. </P><br /><P>But ATI and Nvidia have both honed the tech to a point where we're now seeing major benefits to the polygon punt – in some cases, close to twice the power for two cards – and it's been a learning process for both outfits. </P><br /><P>Architectural innovation and API-leveraging aside, they've had to work their driver releases to really get two cards on-song. And just as crucially, they've had to invest more heavily than ever before in close working relationships with game developers. </P><br /><P>That sort of commitment doesn't come cheap, especially when you consider the tight milestones that both hardware, driver, and game-development teams have to work to. But both Nvidia and ATI have grasped the nettle and built these relationships, their engineers jetting off to work on-site with game studios to ensure this stuff actually works. </P><br /><P>The result is a process of fine-tuning that enables dual-card setups, finally, to fly like they should with the games we all play. </P><br /><P>And yet, each company seeks to differentiate, offering a slightly different proposition. Elegant ATI looks to court the multimedia market with EyeFinity and power-efficiency, while the poke-focussed Nvidia, as ever, seeks to shift more pixels at a greater speed than the competition, and attempts to make 3D vision a household technology. </P><br /><P>Our remit for the following shootout, as ever, is to ascertain which twin GPU setup offers the greater value proposition. Both companies have their mid-range DX11 cards on the table now, so let the games commence… </P><br /><P><img alt="The ultimate upgrade – dual dx11 set-ups " src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20246/PCF246.feature2.spread_1_1-420-90.jpg" width="420"></IMG></P><br /><P>Life with SLI and CrossFire has never been easier. Provided you have a supporting motherboard and you're not limiting the capabilities of these fine DX11-capable GPUs with something more archaic than a decent Core 2 Duo, you'll see some serious gains for having a dual-card setup. </P><br /><P>And we really don't mean to sound glib when we say that CPUs prior to Core 2 Duo will hold back your graphics card. Not only will an older CPU limit the speed capabilities of a new graphics card, but there's DX11 to take into account. </P><br /><P>DX11 doesn't just make standards of tessellation and stream-processor leverage. It aims to make your CPU work harder for the game engine, with multi-threaded rendering. The more cores, and the more threads per core in your CPU, the better gaming performance will be. A fancy Phenom or Core i7 will really take the load off your GPU, and let it do its thing unhindered. </P><br /><P>But before we go anywhere near the benchmarks of our stable of cards, and what they mean in terms of a buying decision, let's pause to examine your motivations. </P><br /><P><STRONG>Why a dual-card setup?</STRONG></P><br /><P>In the great flow-chart of whether-or-not-you-want-two-graphics cards, you should first ask yourself why. There are two good reasons to plump for a pair of cards, which depend entirely on your financial situation. </P><br /><P>The first is the prospect of an inexpensive future upgrade, which requires that you have already bought a motherboard with dual-card capabilities, with future-proofing in mind, you clever thing. If one card is good for the price, why not save up for a couple of months and add another card to your system for a major increase in frame rates?</P><br /><P>It's a compelling proposition, especially when retailers are constantly and incrementally driving down the prices of cards to keep up with the competition. And now that SLI and CrossFire offer really solid benefits for doubling up, it's become a more valid motivation than ever before. </P><br /><P>The second reason to invest in two cards comes down to overall value in a single purchase. Can you really get more performance from a twin-card setup than from a more expensive single card? That's largely down to your budget, which we'll come to in a while. </P><br /><P>The purpose of our tests is to find the current best mid-range dual-card setup, so let's examine what the cards offer. </P><br /><P><STRONG>The cards on test</STRONG></P><br /><P>We're looking at paired sets of four distinct cards: ATI's HD 5750 and HD 5770, and Nvidia's GTS 450 and GTX 460. All four of these cards differ in price, performance and capabilities. In a sense, there's never been a richer crop of mid-range cards – and a more confusing series of choices to make. </P><br /><P>And by mid-range, we mean cards that drive mid-range resolutions – between 1,680 x 1,050 and 1,920 x 1,080 – 22-24-inch monitors, basically. Regardless of every other feature a graphics card may possess, we're primarily interested in gaming performance, and when that's your key metric, the native resolution of your monitor is a major deciding factor. </P><br /><P>Your price/performance sweet spot lies with the cards that run games happily at your native resolution. The cheap seats At the budget end of our scale are the HD 5750 and the GTS 450 – both pared-down versions of the GPUs boasted by their bigger DX11 stablemates. </P><br /><P>Traditionally, this means fewer cores/stream processors and a lower memory bandwidth than higher-end cards in the series, and this is true of these budget barnstormers as well. They just can't shift as much data as their freer-breathing bigger brothers, which means lower frame rates. </P><br /><P>The compensating factor, as ever, is price. 1GB examples of both the HD 5750 and the GTS 450 (these are the ones we tested, over their 768MB counterparts) can be found for less than a hundred quid. </P><br /><P>The middle brothers to the HD 5750 and GTS 450 are the HD 5770 and GTX 460. Specs-wise, they have exactly what you'd expect: a bigger memory interface with considerably more memory bandwidth, and greater power consumption to boot.</P><br /><P>Here's where the prices really start to differ as well, with the 1GB version of the HD 5770 coming in around £60 cheaper, on average, than the similarly-equipped GTX 460. So while competition is as tight as can be at the budget end, the upper-midrangers start to pull away, and a different story begins to emerge. Just what is it that makes these graphics cards so different? </P><br /><P>We ought to look at some benchmarks. But first, a word on compatibility. </P><br /><P><STRONG>Driver issues </STRONG></P><br /><P>The games we used to run our benchmarks were: <EM>DiRT 2</EM>, <EM>Far Cry 2</EM>, <EM>Just Cause 2</EM> and the synthetic DX11 benchmark, Heaven 2.0 Benchmark. </P><br /><P><img alt="FarCry 2" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20246/PCF246.feature2.jump_1-420-90.jpg" width="420"></IMG></P><br /><P>The only game in which we saw some curious results from a dual-card setup was <EM>DiRT 2</EM> on CrossFire. The difference between ATI's and Nvidia's dual-card setups is that CrossFire often requires Application Profile packages to be installed alongside the driver (although why the two can't be combined into a single package seems odd). </P><br /><P>The result, if you haven't downloaded and installed the latest Application Profiles from the AMD website, is a drop in performance in those games that require them. </P><br /><P>Our benchmarks were performed using the latest Catalyst and Forceware drivers, and in all other tests with all our other games, everything was ticketyboo. Catalyst 10.9, it appears, doesn't yet have an Application Profile for <EM>DiRT 2</EM>, which meant we actually saw a dip in performance with two cards, as the game struggled to leverage the hardware. </P><br /><P>We take these results with a pinch of salt, however. The cards are perfectly capable of running the game in CrossFire mode, and the catalyst 9.X packages had their own hotfix. One just hasn't been introduced for 10.9 yet, and when it does, we'll see that rise in performance. </P><br /><P>It's just a little irksome that we need discrete Application Profiles at all with CrossFire, seeing as SLI just works out of the box with commensurate performance gains over one card, and no requirement to download extra software. </P><br /><P>So let's start with the humble HD 5750. Alone, the card runs games at a respectable rate at middling resolutions. But at nearly 40fps in <EM>Far Cry 2</EM> at 1,920 x 1,080 with high AA and AF, and all the effects turned on? That's great DX10 performance for under a hundred pounds. </P><br /><P>The card is also whisper-quiet, and while the fan speed scales to cool when the pressure is on, it never really becomes audible. </P><br /><P>Whack two together in CrossFire, however, and you'll see a 65-90% increase in frame rates across the board, depending on the game, and scores that outperform any single card on test here bar the GTX 460. That high-resolution <EM>Far Cry 2</EM> test jumps to 54fps, just shy of the holy-grail that is 60fps. And if you're running at 1,680 x 1,050, the setup nearly cracks the 100fps mark. Impressive indeed. </P><br /><P>Price-wise, the 5750 sits in direct competition with Nvidia's GTS 450, and here's where the real battle lies. Alone, the 450 offers extremely competent performance at middling resolutions – close on 60fps in <EM>Far Cry 2</EM> and 30fps in the considerably more demanding <EM>Just Cause 2</EM>. As you'd expect for a budget card, it runs out of puff at higher resolutions, but not as quickly as the 5750. </P><br /><P>Pair it with a twin, however, and the whole game changes. The performance of the 450 in SLI mode at 1,680 x 1,050 is nothing less than stellar: 70fps in <EM>DiRT 2</EM>, 125fps in <EM>Far Cry 2</EM>, 57fps in <EM>Just Cause 2</EM> and 40fps in the massively demanding Heaven 2.0 Benchmark. It not only pushes the HD 5750 CF setup into the shade, it outperforms a single GTX 460 by a very tangible margin. </P><br /><P>The setup is even capable of driving healthy performance at 1,920 x 1,200, with 98fps in <EM>Far Cry 2</EM> and a still-playable 29fps in <EM>Just Cause 2</EM>. Like any lower memory-bandwidth budget card, it's always going to run out of juice before its bigger stablemates, especially as more demanding games appear. </P><br /><P>But in terms of mid-range poke, we're frankly astounded. This means sad things for the HD 5770, which in CrossFire mode, can barely keep up with the GTS 450 pairing at 1,680 x 1,050. The 5770 handles <EM>Just Cause 2's</EM> engine more adroitly than the Nvidia equivalent, but only just. </P><br /><P>What's more, a pair of 5770s will set you back around £50-£70 more than a pair of 450s, which clock in at around £198, and outperform a single 460 at 1,680 x 1,050. Do you feel a conclusion coming on? </P><br /><P>Well, stop right there. There's more to ATI's 5770 – and indeed its whole HD lineup – than just gaming performance. It's incredibly quiet, power-efficient and it allows you to use ATI EyeFinity for multi-screen setups. </P><br /><P>The only downside to the latter being that as far as gaming goes, you need a much fatter GPU to drive multiple panels at decent frame rates. For gaming on mid-range cards then, EyeFinity is a bit of a pipe-dream. But if you want a quiet, efficient, cool system that's capable of wholly competent frame rates at mid-range resolutions, then an HD 5770 CF setup is still a serious consideration. </P><br /><P><img alt="Eyefinity" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20246/PCF246.feature2.main_1-420-90.jpg" width="420"></IMG></P><br /><P>And what of the GTX 460, the most expensive single card on test? The Zotac models we benchmarked clocked in at just a shade cheaper than a pair of GTS 450s, and while a single 460's frame rates at all resolutions couldn't quite compete, it's pairing them up that makes the difference for high-resolution gaming. </P><br /><P>At £380, you get a properly high-end setup, with serious high-end results. So high, in fact, that a pair of 460s will comfortably outperform a single GTX 480, which will set you back the same price. </P><br /><P>The price-performance ratio prize, however, has to go to the pair of GTS 450's in SLI mode. Great mid-range performance for under £200? We'll take two.</P><br /><P><STRONG>Benchmarks</STRONG></P><br /><P><img alt="Benchmarks 1" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20246/Bench2GPU-420-90.jpg" width="420"></IMG></P><br /><P><img alt="Benchmarks 2" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20246/BenchGPU1-420-90.jpg" width="420"></IMG></P>

Buying Guide: Best value CrossFire and SLI DX11 graphics cards

CrossFire and SLI have finally come of age. Just a couple of years ago, you were hard-pushed to squeeze an extra 50 per cent more gaming pow...

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