Sony has not only become one of the biggest names in film entertainment, but also one of the biggest publishers in the current industry for entertainment in the evolving interactive video game medium. As of 2010, Sony set out on a mission along with many other like-minded companies such as Samsung, LG, Panasonic, etc to provide mainstream consumers with what we term as the “3D-Craze” in stereoscopic display blooms. WhatIfGaming  has been devoted to all thing 3D and unlike most other entertainment publications has been covering 3D for more than 10 years since 2000 from conventions to 3D technology industry events (3DFF, etc). This means those 1950s DVDs with the 3D glasses. Naturally, when Sony released this product November 10, 2011, it was essential to cover this highly enticing 3D TV set for any consumers for Christmas season and holidays, especially given what Sony claims to offer. We have conducted the most rigorous tests anyone can on this $499 MSRP 24” Sony PlayStation 3D TV bundle using our 2 sets in-office for reasons of control, quality, and multisampling. While the Sony PlayStation 3D TV is enticing for consumers who cannot necessarily pay more for a higher quality entry 3D-TV set, it comes with some noticeable problems in the testing rounds which should serve consumers to think three times before purchase. Colors are not saturated accurately, the reflective glare of the LCD coating is an abysmal problem, and the very notion that the 3D is even being utilized for all purposes is generally missing despite the “FULL-HD” moniker. Sony has made a 3D TV that is decent for a 24” TV set if it were priced at $199-299, but something which does not feel like it is even worth half of what more superior entry-sized 3D TVs offer at $499.

The Sony PlayStation 3D TV comes with a sleek black casing design that is similar to the stylish offering of a PlayStation 3 minus the substance. The PlayStation 3D TV does not come with a remote, but similar Sony branded remotes can work if you have a Bravia set laying around the house. The actual casing itself feels rather cheap, however, with a thermoplastic polymer alloy of polyvinyl, similar to earlier computer monitor casings but the outline of the housing does not matter too much in terms of functionality which the main importance of any review, especially a TV that offers a newly introduced mainstream technology that people just caught onto post-Avatar in their homes.

The Sony PlayStation 3D TV underwent few standard tests utilizing 2 screens and respectively 2 separate pairs of glasses. For this TV, we tested color saturation assay using Tripheynalmethane with direct capture off HDMI 1.4, accuracy of the frame-hertz and 3D imaging given various media tested from Avatar Panasonic 3D Blu-Ray, to Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.  To start off with, color saturation in the digital scope is something that most people, reviewers included, fail to grasp. Color pigmentation or contrast of colors is essentially the value of a crystal diode being emitted by the current LCD source through the backlight being emitted through the liquid crystal medium. It is impossible to accurately claim colors as “vibrant or rich” without establishing some set of method to test this directly. Human eye-sight can only perceive about 200:1 contrast. This means for every full on pixel there is at least 1 out of 201 that is less than ideally lit. Considering only WhatIfGaming has ever done this test, we feel we have a handle on things. We tested the actual backlight function on a piece of white paper covered with Tripheynalmethane (an expensive chemical). For the less science enthused, this is a common polymer used in medicine to test the relative wavelengths of light through a sample of light emissions. The higher the wavelength, the less accurate the backlight is even given lighting conditions change person to person. Testing the Sony Playstation 3D TV’s light emission using a direct source exposure reveals something surprising: the contrast ratio and the actual quality of the backlight is cheaper than the more expensive but non-1080p TV screens. Likely, at $499 they had to downgrade this aspect of the screen immensely, considering most 3D-entry TV’s at ~$1000 start at 4x the wavelength at 850nm. One thing has been established: the colors themselves and the backlight themselves are relatively cheap and undersaturated compared to even high end lower contrast models. This is one thing buyers have to be wary about and it is critical. Even if it offers 2000:1 contrast in theory, the TV can ever only put out any deep color variances in a very limited range.

This screen’s accuracy and sharpness of colors gets more degraded when the active-shutters are used and the immense glare LCD coat is put to the test. Active shutter glasses constantly cycle between two frames in a dimensional analysis cross in the hypothalamus of the brain, creating the 3D variance seen.  Sony claims a “FULL-1080p” experience, but realistically at 24” and considering most of the Sony 3D video game titles such as Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Resistance 3, and Killzone 3 are sub-3D. The utilization of the TV is just not there, which fuses with the other important critical point that the TV itself is not harnessing 3D accurately at 24” or even at all with sub-3D upscaling which somewhat falls on developer support itself and not the TV. This is not to say the 3D TV is not capable of actually outputting 1080P, but in terms of 3D 1080P per eye, the shutter cycling is a big problem.

In terms of actual 3D 240Hz quality, during testing we noticed a 3D Transmitter lag in the shutter frames, where there is apparent blacks appearing at high-action sequences. We further tested out the hertz of the frames using a physics imaging software and the cycles of hertz actually varies from 100-120Hz, which explains for the drop time to time. This actually counters the claim that the Sony PlayStation 3D TV is a full-120Hz constant shutter system.  As a TV itself or a PC monitor, the Sony PlayStation 3D TV is great for $499 and up-close 3D viewing of Blu-Ray films (where the 3D is just as incredible on full-sized 3D TVs minus the actual power of a bigger screen), but at $499 one can easily get a 50” standard LCD TV that is better in color, and quality.

Throughout testing, all the weaknesses of the Sony PlayStation 3D TV led to one question: Is getting a $499 TV with tax that offers little 3D use even worth buying for the holidays or at all given the the 3D itself is not technically “FULL-1080P” and downgraded by the monitor’s small size, shutter inaccuracy, and lastly weaker colors? The answer, while we fully can appreciate Sony’s push for 3D TVs in the low-cost markets, is simply: No. We cannot recommend this set even to people desperately wanting a cheaper 3D TV, as it is not worth its value in price. 3D projector displays that utilize shutter technology would be a better investment. This $500 can definitely be better spent elsewhere for consumers. If anyone is too desperate, then they may just want to go with a Samsung PN50C490B3D 768P 3D TV or the more superior 40”+ Sony Bravia 3D TV models that are much better priced in terms of quality and film entertainment use.  Sony continues to make strides in the higher-end 3D TV models when it comes to stereoscopic technology, but they should definitely stick to doing what they do best and price accordingly. This does not cut it.

Back in the technologically impaired time stratum of 2001, Apple released their first iPod – an invention which macadamized and out-sparked a revolution in the way which people listened to music on-the-go. The concept seemed odd from the loud clanking spins of our CD players and the variable MP3 options available that were charging too high for quality that was simply too low. This CD player was history. This first generation iPod was a primitive device compared to the iPod of today but it paved the way for the basic design which has allowed Apple to create this extraordinary product that has moved way beyond the basics of listening to music but instead given a minicomputer that includes vast amounts of features and options that keeps it ahead of the curve. From the first moment that the iPod Touch is turned on, it gives the sense of having many hidden talents which will still only be found after a few weeks of getting used to all the features it possesses. It is simply a remarkable piece of hardware that is incredibly easy to use and has an impeccable design.

The sleek design of the iPod Touch is only amplified by the magnificently compact packaging it comes in hosting: the instruction manual, earphones, connecting/charging cable and the actual iPod Touch all in a 12cm x 7cm x 2.5cm box, confusing at first as to where all the cables and manuals are until the under-professionals discovered, effulgent of a professional product before it has even been switched on. The iPod Touch itself is extremely thin and while this also makes it very lightweight, it has a good feel to it so it never gives the impression of being a flimsy product. The reverse also encompasses the brilliantly polished metal backing which most recent Apple devices have mostly. This sleekness comes at a certain cost as after daily use it becomes badly scratched and marked with fingerprints which is disappointing but fortunately the same cannot be said for the front screen which holds its appearance remarkably well.

Inside the iPod Touch is the Apple A4 processor which is a very efficient processor, keeping everything running smoothly even when there is a lot of multitasking going on while also not causing a large drain on the battery. With an equally formidable processor, the PowerVR SGX GPU 535 allows games on the app store to be run very smoothly with high quality graphics and the 256MB of RAM is an additional exceptional feature, all concluding to ensure there is never any problems with the iPod Touch struggling to keep up to speed.

The immediate reaction when the iPod Touch is switched on is how responsive the 3.5 inch retina display screen is for the touch screen controls for whatever they are being used, which is a credit to Apple to keep up the consistency of a newly perfected technology. There are never any problems in usability or the fluidity of the touch controls and the retina display screen keeps everything very sharp and fresh which makes the iPod Touch enjoyable to use while being extremely functional. The standard applications that are already pre-installed include: Camera, YouTube, Maps, Clock, Calendar, Calculator, Contacts, Game Center, Photos, FaceTime, Stocks, Weather and Notes which provide a large variety of features that are useful for whatever purpose the iPod Touch was bought for. The other two icons which are immediately noticable on the main screen are the App Store and iTunes, both these are vast databases and each provide near endless possibilities for everyone’s needs. iTunes has masses of music but the range also stretches to podcasts, audio books and videos whereas the App Store has thousands of different applications for whatever extra you might want your iPod Touch to be able to do whether it is playing games, listening to radio stations or just simply checking your battery level in a graphic format. A wide array of premium content offerings in addition to a plethora of free downloads makes the possibilities endless. Let us not dapper beyond the point, the central main point being about consumer purchase. The whole point of buying an iPod Touch is to listen to music and Apple has gone with an extremely simple approach to this concept and kept most menus and such to a minimum which gets the user quickly to grips with it and creates no fuss. All the usual functions are provided such as shuffle, repeat, skipping tracks aswell as a slider for ease of changing the volume up or down which is useful. The iPod Touch also allows further mobility as the internet can be accessed through Wi-Fi which is constantly strong and allows multimedia to be sent through Bluetooth. Bluetooth does seem to have one particular and disappointing caveat: it only works with signals from other Apple products which is actually the biggest weakness of the product as only Bluetooth signals from other Apple products, a monopolization and definitely an area where Apple should look to improve in the future if it truly wants to extend open source communication in a technically apt society.

A multimedia player with a vast amount of features is the kind of product you are after, the Apple iPod Touch stops the long-awaited search by 2011 shoppers this year. The Apple iPod Touch has something for everyone and does the primary job of being a music player to a very high standard. There is really nothing much else to say about how the iPod Touch handles itself. An adept piece of hardware with incredible software inside which all adds up to being a must have product is simply something which should find itself above everyone’s past MP3 players this year and we cannot praise Apple enough for how this device has turned out and delivered exceptionally well to higher standards.

The Sapphire Radeon Toxic Edition HD 6850 is surprisingly a card that is simply a steal to PC and hardcore gaming enthusiasts worldwide. While the HD 6870 may have more stream processors and 900~913/1050 MHz ratio of core:memory speed  the Sapphire Radeon Toxic Edition HD 6850  performs at equal level (+/- 2 fps) in every test performed for the price point difference at 1GB memory. The custom PCB along with the 1.7 billion transistor core reveals a true overclocking power that does not limit the life of the product, but ensures a lengthy return for something that can be underestimated because of the digits after the HD. With more performance per dollar and quality per performance value, the Sapphire Radeon HD Toxic 6850 is a must-buy for anyone looking to upgrade to the next solution of CrossFireX domination and pure statistic performance per watt.

The external packaging reveals the fate of a card that has supernatural powers, as a blue-cloaked male figure reveals an inner secret to the core. The technologies this card utilizes include DirectX 11, CrossFireX Technology, HDMI 1.4a, Display Port 1.2 and AMD Eyefinity technology. The contents of the package itself come with the card, revealing a powerful weight similar to 6870 reference cards and differ from the normal 6850 contents by offering a changed chassis model along with a cool steel blue appearance with polished gun-metal black. The Sapphire Radeon Toxic HD 6850 reveals a truly contagious appeal that fans of Sapphire Technologies love.

Overclocking can sometimes be seen as a bad thing among technical-enthusiasts, especially those that cannot sadly afford to keep changing out their parts every 6 months. Luckily for hardcore PC enthusiasts, Sapphire alleviates the concerns and reveals that overclocking does not come at a price, but moreover comes with a satisfaction that is venerable. The Sapphire Radeon Toxic HD 6850 performed exquisitely well throughout the tests we put it through from titles such as Mass Effect 2, Grand Theft Auto IV EFLC + Original (latest patches), Dead Space 2 Early PC Build. With every test we performed within the 68xx series, the 6850 followed within 2 fps below the 6870. While 2 fps may seem significant, the overclocking is where the card shines, pushing to a 1000MHz core clock and a 1200 MHz memory speed for fps that beats the 6870 reference speeds across XFX, Diamond, and MSI. Temperature wise, the card idles at a decent 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Sapphire Radeon Toxic HD 6850 is the perfect card for gamers looking to get a great gift under their tree this holiday season.  Without too much of a hole in the wallet, consumers can seek the Toxic HD 6850 as the perfect DirectX 11 card that will save money and deliver more power than the leading competitor in the same series in CrossFire and out.  The Sapphire Radeon Toxic HD 6850 will be sure to deliver exactly the gaming needs for every frame output.

Creativity. It all starts with the idea to create something simple, and further extends the applications of the idea into a world of practicability and reasonability in the limitations of whatever tools we have to use that puts a pen in our hand and gives us a small area to expand. Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection Edition heralds a tool-set  which includes: Adobe Photoshop CS5 for photography enthusiasts, Adobe Illustrator CS5 for vector inspirationalists, Adobe InDesign for Publishing Needs, Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro for PDF Document Lovers, Adobe Flash Professional CS5 for Animation and Keyframe Creators, Adobe Flash Builder 4 for Cross-Platform Internet Applicationists, Adobe Dreamweaver CS5 with Adobe Fireworks CS5 for Website Designers, Adobe Contribute CS5 for Website Specialists, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 for Video Editors,  Adobe After Effects for Motion Graphics teams around the world, Adobe Soundbooth CS5 for Audiophiles, Adobe OnLocation CS5 for Production Editors on-location, and finally Adobe Encore CS5 for Media Authors looking for that perfect packaging. The amount of products within the tool-set are stunning while being simply remarkable, a feat that no easy list can accomplish. Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection Edition defines the meteoric capacity of a tool-set to revitalize the mind’s concept and allow any designer, developer, creator, inventor to simply achieve an unstoppable performance that is unforgiving to the amount of innovations that a human mind can encompass.

Adobe Photoshop changed the face of the planet, and dare to say the universe for professionals and amateur photographers everywhere. Since Corel’s Paint Shop Pro started to focus more on raster editing for photos, Adobe took the lead with their starting innovation.  The Adobe Photoshop CS5 software underscores digital imaging with the inherent focus of photography workflow resulting in groundbreaking capabilities for image retouching, vector based art, and most of all the conception of creative ideas coming together from a variety of onscreen elements.  Having covered a vast majority of the products stated, we will focus solely on CS5 changes and the significance of each application. Notable changes within CS5 include Content-Aware Fill, Puppet Warping, Automatic Lens Correction, and moreover efficient and enhanced workflow with newer interface controls.  Content-Aware fill removes any detail from an image spectacularly. Have an annoying tire in the middle of nowhere? Remove it. In the past, photography experts could remove any object or person using a combination of the Clone Brush and or different layering techniques along with the pattern brush to outline shrubbery followed by the smudge tool. It was no doubt a tedious process, but one that is useful and gave rise to a tool in Adobe Photoshop CS5 which allows for content-aware filling. Puppet Warping is a fun and exciting way to drastically or subtly alter the shape, skew, and dimensional characteristics of an element. Puppet Warp is fairly straightforward and allows for the editing of any awkward angles for any element on the screen. While we can go into detail about Automatic Lens Correction,  we want to pay more attention to the superior enhanced interface with GPU-accelerated features. Quite simply attractive and beautiful compared to the two squares and older color pickers of the day pre-CS5, the newer onscreen color picture allows photographists to sample colors with better visualization, something that was needed for that contrast appearance of color-to-color. Adobe Photoshop CS5 is just one remarkable program in the entire Adobe Master Creative Suite 5 collection that allows an extended look into photography and focus of digital editing and expands into several other programs that use anything graphics image orientated, notably Adobe Illustrator CS5.

Adobe Illustrator CS5 comes with its own suite of enhancements that makes it useful for vector designers around the world. One of the most useful features includes the Persepective Drawing function that stands out the most. In the past, designers would have to skew their object sets to outlay the background workspace to fit certain scenes at different angles in their graphics or use a complex series of pen tool points. Now, shapes are easier to draw before and Adobe Illustrator CS5 takes the shapes and outlines them in perspective depending on any point of reference that can be any image, shape, or object. Adobe Illustrator CS5 displays further enhancements with different workspaces and the interface to realize that enhancements and workflow is incredibly important to utilize Adobe Illustrator CS5 files in other programs, such as publishing with Adobe InDesign CS5.

These files can compound their way into Adobe InDesign CS5, a publishing tool that also serves a wide variety of functions from creating documents, to replacing Microsoft Word and even creating interesting graphics techniques. The newest feature Adobe InDesign CS5 presents is interactivity. Productivity and collaboration features such as interactive navigations for complex menus allows documents created to be more lively and dynamic than ever before. Adobe InDesign CS5 presents an incredible export functionality to put documents in Adobe Flash CS5 while providing key elements to remain intact and increase the workflow further with changes on the go. Adobe InDesign CS5 further maintains that complexity found in previous workflows while easing the simplicity of the usage.

Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 and Adobe After Effects CS5 are complementary to Motion Graphics and Video Editing experts. Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 comes with an incredible number of features that range from better chroma keying to 64 Bit workflows and the newly engineered Mercury Playback Engine for fast HD rendering and workflow transfer. The heavily used HD formats on the newer cameras has seen a long range of slow scrubbing software from some other companies and finally a difficult time to really cut and fine tune the footage. With Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, the engine is geared towards not just tapeless workflow but also designed to make full use of HD through the CineForm Neo 3D plugin and more.  Adobe After Effects CS 5 takes a rank through Adobe Dynamic Link and satiates a motion graphics thirst for creating footage and assets for post-production editing. Having used RED Cinema Camera’s ourselves, we were able to test RED footage on both programs at 4K that worked superbly for not only preview capacity at 16GB of RAM, but also showed smoother than Adobe Premiere Pro CS4. While limitations always exist in software and hardware, and there were still some minor hiccups in render previewing, a lot of the action seemed intact and the waits were only minimal at best.

The only hard part for some people will be to know that After Effects and Premiere Pro are only available for 64-bit. While we used 16 GB, the program certainly uses a lot less by default. The decision while narrowing the amount of people that can use the software, takes a turn for the best. Considering a vast majority of professionals already use these tools to placate heavy graphics burdens, it seemed practical for Adobe to turn away from the more amateur base and into the professional sector that demands an operating system that can use and see more than 4 GB of RAM. As such, we calculated one final test: how well does this change really impact the system? The results are interesting nevertheless. Using a x64 system and some project files provided to us by the team at RED, we were able to run tests with the x64 at a smaller amount of RAM and a larger amount of RAM. The results indicate that x64 support actually has no beneficial advantage in terms of the Mercury Engine’s running and rendering preview time for the project files (files filled with vector graphics at 2K). The render times relatively were under a difference of 4 frames per second for both 2K and 4K tests done at the amounts of 4GB RAM and 8 GB RAM, where the latter started exhibiting a limit in terms of any noticeable advantage. Compared to Premiere Pro CS4, however, these results showed a marked improvement averaging well over 10 frames per second increase than its predecessor, a noteworthy accomplishment displaying that 64-bit only could have possibly prevailed in this scenario. While these results are subject to change per system application, it does bring up the possibility that in the future there might be support for x86 Adobe After Effects CS5 and Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 or more possibly Creative Suite 6.

Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection Edition is expansive in application, and applies not just to just production, but also web design. Adobe’s Dreamweaver series made it possible all around the world for people to create intricate websites with the active animations and clear sidebar stock assets we see today. Having utilized workflow to a maximum as one of the key pillars of the entire Creative Suite Collection of products by design, Adobe Dreamweaver extended this workflow by utilizing the Flash integration capabilities through .XML and CMS (Content Management System) Flash Professional integration to create something lively and exciting altogether.

Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection Edition offers an incredible set of tools that takes creativity from the most used graphics programs all around the world, and extends them into websites with Dreamweaver CS5, live enriched documents, animated publications through InDesign, Color Finesse picture quality through motion graphics, sounds from the proprietary SoundBooth editing software and an on-location set of productivity edition tools, and finally authoring it using Contribute through an expansive Adobe Review system graced by the elegance of 64 bit native support in all applications. Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection Edition is markedly a very important step to making something greater and even better in the Adobe line of Suite Products more than it already offers. As of right now, we will just have to wait until the magic unfolds further.

For those of us who like to take our Xbox 360 to our friend’s house or other social gatherings, Madcatz has made a wonderful carrier for the Xbox 360. Finding a way to transport consoles around has always been a challenge. To have the complete security of your $400.00 console, Madcatz has created an amazing transport system that is durable, dependable and moreover incredible.

The Xbox 360 Messenger Bag simply solves all the transport problems you need. The design of the bag is quite simple. It has a main pocket with a primary middle pocket holder for the Xbox 360. At the bottom of the main pocket, there is a padded divider which folds up allowing you to store your AV cables, power pack and power Cord. Once the power cords are stored the divider folds down and acts as a padded floor for your Xbox 360 to rest on. In terms of space, the MadCatz review accessory is simply incredible with the additional seperate holsters to the side which fit an enormous amount of stuff such as 4 entire Xbox 360 games in total.

Once your 360 is situated inside the main pocket, the extra padding in the pocket allows for extra protection for your console. The middle pocket is capable of holding up to 4 360 controllers. The provided one mesh-zipped pocket that are located in front of the middle pocket followed by 2 mesh pockets on each side of the bag are great for storing extra cables you might have.

In terms of simple and effective carrying, the Madcatz Xbox 360 Transport Bag is a must-have for anyone looking to secure their Xbox 360 during travel and international/domestic flights. Just make sure to take it out during customs and security checks while treating it at a laptop. The comfort of the bag auspiciously carries the Xbox 360 so much that it often makes us forgetful we are even carrying anything.

Original Review Content by Contributor: James Pikover

When it comes to music game instruments, there is very little selection in terms of hardware. It is essentially first party from Harmonix’s Rock Band 1 or 2, any version of the Guitar Hero guitars, and now the Guitar Hero World Tour drums and microphone. With the exception of a few things here and there, such as ION Audio’s Premium Drum Set and Pearl’s Omega Drum Pedal, there is no market for music gaming equipment.

For those of us who have spent too much time and money at game shops buying the latest software and hardware, you will recognize Madcatz as a name to stay away from except for very specific situations. In the past, they have been known as that 3rd party peripheral company who makes worse hardware than 1st parties, but with one or two features that made them sell well enough for some of us to buy. Features like a macro button or wireless connectivity (back when wireless wasn’t the standard).

After keeping quiet for a few years, Madcatz is making a comeback in a big way: making music equipment for the likes of Rock Band. They have introduced a very solid lineup of peripherals, and we had the chance to look at their three biggest ones: the Fender Precision Bass, standalone microphone and cymbal expansion kit. The results are surprising.

IStarUSA is known to make great technology: from power supplies, to internal divisions and in this case, the latest Xage-n99-us hard drive docking station. Coming with the works of RoHS compliancy, the latest storage division supports up to 2.5” and 3.5” SATA hard drives up to 1TB, offering for a versatility that we just don’t see too often in terms of storage devices and the way the efficiency of items are brought up.

Specifications & Features:

SATA to USB 2.0/ FireWire 800/ Ethernet even eSATA interfaces

80mm Cooling Fan with Speed Controller

One Year Warranty

Size: 80mm

Speed: 0~1,800 rpm

Noise Level: 23.8 dB(A)

Air Flow: 31.15 CFM

The docking station comes with the USB cable, sexy HDD rubber covers and a power cable with the main mount. As a fully PC, Mac and Linux compatible device, the iStarUSA docking station supports makes sure that it doesn’t come off as cheap, with a blue activity light for a smitten indicator.

The iStarUSA HDD Docking Station boasts 480Mbps of data transfer rates for both 3.5” and 2.5” SATA hard drives in a very sleek design and reels in at about $20-$30 for something to aid in the aggravation of trying to figure out what HDD has what. In a land of external hard drive solutions, iStarUSA manages to make the trend towards a cheaper significance, allowing for ordinary consumers to save time, space, and most importantly money by hotswap.

iStarUSA claims a lot for a device that looks elegant but simple. After testing the device with our fastest RPM Western Digital SATA drive, the iStar USA performed admirably, exceeding expectations for something a bit peculiar, even for us. While total efficiency remained at 85%, the device itself was well worth the cash after all, a great news to those with hard drives as backups or picture storage.

As for noise level, surprisingly the unit itself does not make much noise (21.8 dB) using an oscillator, and the hard drive is the only thing that makes noise while accessing internal RAM. Not bad at all.

Rejoice. iStarUSA’s xAge-N99-US USB 2.0 Hard Drive Docking Station is here.

]]> http://whatifgaming.com/istarusa-hard-drive-docking-station-review-plug-n-go/feed 0 http://whatifgaming.com/ati-radeon-4870-x2-exclusive-review-overstrides http://whatifgaming.com/ati-radeon-4870-x2-exclusive-review-overstrides#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:30:02 +0000 Usman Ihtsham http://whatifgaming.com/?p=1535

Back when we did our review on the Crossfire 4870’s, we were left utterly impressed by the sheer amount of productivity and results that provided for an effulgence of gaming pleasure over even the latest of the Nvidia offering of the GTX 280’s and GTX 260’s with value of power and price. It seems AMD is setting the barriers this generation, and trying to cross them over and over again. With the introduction of the HD 4850 1GB and HD 4870 1GB, AMD had amped up the offering for the initial consumer price point models. Now, they’ve just broken their own barrier with the latest innovation of the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 series. As the first consumer graphics card with 2 GB of memory, and the first card to implement a 512bit GDDR5 memory architecture through the inordinate amount of pixel pipelines, the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 graphics card stoically dominates the competition in a whole new level for the enthusiast gamers.

We wanted to make something people can love, and feel secure with. – Dirk Meyer, President, AMD: Commenting to WhatIfGaming on the HD 4870 X2 card.

AMD is proudly bringing PC gamers 1.0 TeraFLOP Graphics Performance, with a single GPU that consumes only 110W of power in the HD 4850. Going head to head with the 8800GTX, 8800GTS & GT, and 9600GT series of cards. Developing a new TeraScale graphics engine, AMD is excited to deliver an impassive experience for gaming. With enhanced anti-aliasing 24X (AA) and AF, gamers will find a new realism more improved than previous versions of cards that all had AA and AF flickering sporadic problems. You’ve read our Cinema 2.0 coverage and are waiting for our detailed article on the latest 4800 series line, including ATI Radeon HD 4870 details. Now, we want to reveal one part with the ATI Radeon HD 4850 that should provide a glimpse into the new series line. With power that supports DX 10.1 fully unlike the GTX 200′s, the ATI Radeon HD 4850 brings efficiency together against the competition through features such as ATI Powerplay and ATI Avivo HD to give gamers a more enhanced experience all around.

Let’s take a look at the key features:

• 512MB GDDR3 Memory

• Core Clock: 625MHz

• Single Slot

• 2.0 Gbps
• 110W Power Requirement
• 256-bit memory interface
• DirectX 10.1 Support
• 24x custom filter AA and high performance AF
• ATI CrossFireX multi-GPU support for scalable performance
• PCI-E 2.0 support
• ATI Avivio HD video and display technology for Blu-ray and 7.1 surround sound support with On-Chip HDCPd
• ATI Powerplay

Let’s go on to the test system.