The Xjacker Soniq Rush 2.0 comes in a Xbox 360 color themed box with information on it for you to read.

Unpacking everything you’ll find a quick start guide, two long audio cable, one USB cable, the amplifier and two audio adapters.

The main cable that gets the audio from your Xbox 360 to your headphones features two RCA pass-through jacks and a 3.5mm audio jack. This cable is ten feet in length.

The second cable is the one that connects to the amplifier and then to your headphones, it has male and female 3.5mm audio connections on it and it’s six feet in length.

The USB cable is short and has a regular USB connection on one end and a mini-USB connector on the other.

The other two cables included are a ‘Y’ style cable for headset that have only one 3.5mm jack, it splits the audio and microphone connections for you. The other cable can connect to the Xbox 360 controller so you can chat while playing.

Here’s the Soniq Rush 2.0 or amplifier itself. It’s semi-transparent and made of plastic, it has the Xjacker logo on the front and some info on the back. (I used the bright flash for some of the pics below to show you the transparency of it.)

On the bottom edge of the amplifier you’ll find two knobs, one for volume and one for bass. To the far right is the audio input jack.

On the top edge is the USB connection for power.

Then on the left end if the output jack that would go to your headphones.

Specifications:

Xjacker Soniq Rush 2.0 Gamign Amplifier Kit (X360 Edition)

The wait is over! XJacKer’s award-winning, patent-pending gaming amplifier (and headset adapter kit) is back. And it’s bigger, badder, and better-sounding than ever before!

Like the original, our new Soniq Rush 2.0 turns your standard PC headset into a premium Xbox 360 gaming headset with amplified game audio + XBL chat! Unlike the original, we’ve added the following features to further boost your gaming experience:

Improved circuitry for reduced power noise, USB switch-mode "hash" noise, and minimal distortion. More sound, less noise.
A powerful and FULLY-ADJUSTABLE bass boost to match your exact preference. Because all your bass are belong to you.
Premium OFC (oxygen-free copper) cabling for better conductivity and enhanced SNR (signal-to-noise) ratios.
So get ready to experience all the rich soundscapes that you’ve been missing, hear even the faintest and most subtle details, and sense when danger is near. Our new Soniq Rush 2.0 offers the kind of exceptional sound quality and clarity that today’s phenomenal games demand.

And with full XBL chat capability, you’ll be able to coordinate your team’s strategy and tactics in multiplayer games. After all, if you’re not playing well with others, then you’re just playing with yourself.

All the while, you’ll be saving a grip of cash vs. the cost of a new headset!

Price: $29.99 (from Amazon at time of review)

Like the Xjacker PS3 set I reviewed I’m using my Denon AH-D510R Over-Ear Headphones that feature an in-line microphone with this kit.

If you’re going to want to be able to chat in game then you’ll need to use the small audio adapter and connect it to your Xbox 360 controller.

If you have a standard set of headphones with separate microphone and audio connection you can just plug them in, but if you have a combined set like mine then you’ll need to use the included adapter.

To connect the Soniq Rush 2.0 kit to your Xbox 360 you’ll need to unplug the red and white audio cables from your TV and then plug them into the included pass-through connections and then just plug it back into your TV. I’m using this with my kids Xbox 360 as it’s hooked up via component and mine is hooked up via HDMI. You can use the kit with an HDMI connection but you’ll need an RCA dongle which isn’t included in the kit.

Then you’ll need to connect the amplifier to your Xbox 360 via the USB cable to provide power for it, the red LEF will come on letting you know it has power.

Here’s the basic setup with just using the headphones for audio only. You just plug the headphones into the cable and plug that into the Soniq Rush 2.0 amplifier and you’re set. You can now play and have audio through the headphones without disturbing anyone.

Now if you want to use the microphone as well, you’ll need to add the adapter or two to the above setup:

As you can see now I’ve got a bunch of wires floating around which can be annoying. Doing it this way defeats the purpose of having a wireless controller I think and well you’ve got a bunch of wires now hanging around to be tripped over. my kids use the charge and play cable to charge their batteries while playing sometimes so add that to the mix and you’ve got yet another wire in the way, just seems like a bit too much going on.

The cable is nice and long though at about six feet. The RCA adapter cable is close to ten feet in length though (9.8ft), I think both should be ten feet really as that six feet length is how far you are from your TV while playing. If you want to sit farther away you can’t.

So does it work? Yes it does, and it works well. This setup though has the sound coming out of both the headphones and the TV at the same time, if you want privacy or have a need to be quiet then you can just mute the TV volume and you’ll only have audio coming through the headphones.

So it works but there is a rather large problem with it, there’s an annoying buzzing sound at all times. It’s not very loud but it’s there and it can be annoying to listen to non-stop. You won’t notice it much while actually playing but on the dashboard or any quiet parts of your games you’ll very much notice it. I tried plugging and unplugging things and moving wires around but the buzz would not go away at all. As I said it’s not very loud though, but it’s there for sure.

Conclusion:
The Xjacker Soniq Rush 2.0 Gaming Amplifier Kit for the Xbox 360 does what it says it will, it allows you to use virtually any set of headphones with your Xbox 360 and that’s a good thing.  The kit is fairly simple to use, it hooks up in less than five minutes really, that time all depends on your setup though of course.

The bad part about this kit is all of the wires that you’ll have floating around if you fully utilize the kit including the microphone attachment for chat. There is another slight problem with this kit and that’s the buzzing sound that’s always there. The buzzing isn’t horrible but it’s very noticeable on the dashboard and any other quiet parts of your games. I think I could live with it for the convenience of it all and being able to use any headphones with my Xbox 360.

Pros:
+Simple to use
+Less expensive that buying dedicated headphones
+Volume control on amplifier
+Can use virtually any set of headphones or earbuds
+Fairly easy installation

Cons:
-Slight buzzing in headphones can be annoying
-Lots of cables when in full use

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of Xjacker Soniq Rush 2.0 Gaming Amplifier Kit (Xbox 360 Edition) is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

Today we will be reviewing the Audyssey Audio Dock Air, which is designed to send digital audio from your computer, iPhone, iPod, or iPad wireless to this speaker system. While technically not a dock the Audyssey Audio Dock Air does include a 3.5 mm input on the back for hooking up a sound source via its headphone output jack if so desired.

Having used both the Sonos and Squeezebox setups I have become a big proponent of wireless music streaming. For this type of system to work properly you’ll need a simple setup and a user-friendly interface that Audyssey provides. The Audio Dock Air in combination with AirPlay provides a quick and simple way to provide wireless music streaming within one’s network.

The Audyssey Audio Dock Air arrives in a white cardboard package. The front of the box has an image of the Audio Dock Air, the AirPlay logo along with a description of its features in English and French. One side of the box has another picture of the Audio Dock Air being used by a young woman and on the back is another list of features, specifications and a product blurb in English and French. Finally on the other side of the package are four additional language descriptions for the product.

Opening the box we find the Audyssey Audio Dock Air wrapped in plastic and protected by two foam inserts. Also included are the power supply, 3.5 mm audio cable and quick start guide.

The Audio Dock Air is all black and measures 4.7” x 8.9” x 8.3” and weighs 5 lbs. On its sides are two separate sets of 0.75” tweeters, 3” woofers, and 4” passive bass radiators covered by black speaker covers.

In between these two speaker sets is a black plastic area that houses the Audyssey Audio Dock Air’s controls. Looking at the top we see a volume knob with two LED lights – one for Power and the other for AIrPlay connectivity.

On the front is an infrared port and 0.5 mm headphone output jack.

The back of the Audyssey Audio Dock Air has the power input connector, a 3.5 mm line input and the wireless pairing button.

Underneath the Audio Dock Air are four rubber feet and a rubber covering for a USB connector that is probably for updating the device’s firmware.

Specifications:

Audyssey Audio Dock Air

Flawless Sound Over the Air

The flexibility of wireless audio with the luxury of amazing sound. Finally. The Audyssey Audio Dock Air pairs the uncompressed streaming capability of Airplay with Audyssey’s sound technologies so you hear every musical detail: deep bass, warm mids and clear highs. We’ve tackled the acoustical problems of small speakers and left you with nothing but rich, clear and balanced sound. Because that’s what you expect from Audyssey.

Apple AirPlay Wireless Streaming

The wireless technology of the future is here. Apple AirPlay lets you stream music throughout your entire house, wirelessly. AirPlay is fully integrated into the Audio Dock Air so you can enjoy your entire iTunes library in any room, anytime. Connect your iPhone, iPod, iPad or computer to the Audio Dock Air and control the room’s audio from anywhere.

Any Music in Any and Every Room

Whether you’re listening to music from your computer, iPhone or iPad, or your favorite internet radio station like Pandora or Spotify, the Audyssey Audio Dock Air plays it with AirPlay wireless streaming. Fill your house with your favorite music on one or multiple speakers. Link up to four Audio Dock Airs for a real multi-room audio system.

Perfected by Hardware and Software Collaborations

Unlike most speaker companies, Audyssey hardware and software engineers work together closely to design distortion-free, powerful and precise speakers. The best engineers work at Audyssey developing our cutting-edge innovations. Compare the difference and hear how our technology makes better sound.

Audyssey BassXT for True Bass Lovers

Forget about massive subwoofers. Audyssey technology redefines low frequency reproduction. Passive bass radiators and Audyssey BassXT don’t employ gimmicks or tricks. They enhance the bass in your audio by actually forcing more air out of the speaker itself. The result is deeper bass than anything else its size.

Specifications

• Two .75 in tweeters

• Two 3 in woofers

• Two 4 in passive bass radiators

• AirPlay wireless streaming

• Audyssey EQ

• Audyssey BassXT

• Audyssey Dynamic EQ

• 3.5 mm line input

• 3.5 mm headphone output

Speaker Dimensions

• Width: 4.7 in / 12 cm

• Depth: 8.9 in / 22.6 cm

• Height: 8.3 in / 21.1 cm

• Weight: 5 lbs / 2.3 kg

Box Contents

• Audyssey Audio Dock Air

• Power supply

• 3.5 mm audio cable

AirPlay Works With

• Mac with iTunes

• PC with iTunes

• iPhone (iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G)

• iPad (iPad, iPad 2)

• iPod touch (2nd, 3rd and 4th generation)

(* iTunes 10.1 or later, iOS 4.2 or later)

Price: $399.99

Initial setup takes 5-10 minutes depending on the tech savvy-ness of the user. To setup the Audyssey Audio Dock Air you first need to plug the unit into a power outlet and then wait for the Power LED on top to turn solid green. Next you will need to have the latest updates for iTunes, your Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and password. Any iOS device you wish to use with AirPlay will need to be running iOS 4.2 or higher.

On the back of the device is the Pair button which when pressed will create an Ad-Hoc wireless network for setting up the speaker system. The green AirPlay LED will flash slowly on the top of the device once this network has been created. To access this network go into the network settings on your Mac, PC, iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad and select “LES_AudioDock_Air_Setup”.

Next log into your web browser of choice and enter this address – http://192.168.1.110; this will open the Audyssey Audio Dock Air configuration screen. This setup/status interface allows the customization of the Audio Dock Air’s name and home Wi-Fi network selection.

Now the Power LED will change from flashing green to solid green and the AirPlay LED will transform from slow flashing orange to solid green. Once the AirPlay LED is solid green you are ready to use the Audyssey Audio Dock Air on your Wi-Fi network. If you make an error during the setup process pressing and holding the “Pair” button will restart the process.

Using the Audyssey Audio Dock Air in conjunction with AirPlay is as simple as selecting the device after clicking on the AirPlay icon found on the lower right of most Apple devices and apps.

Since the Audyssey Audio Dock Air has speakers on each side it limits the possible placement of the unit in one’s home or workspace. To maximize the sound quality you will want to place the Audyssey Audio Dock Air in an open area. A corner or crowded bookshelf will muffle the sound playback from one side of the Audio Dock Air.

For such a small package the Audyssey Audio Dock Air produces very deep bass with crisp mids and highs. Usually all-in-one speaker systems have some sound compromise but Audyssey avoids that with the Audio Dock Air. When comparing the Audio Dock Air with the Sonos S3 it is readily apparent the Audyssey system is designed for the bass rich music lover in mind. Jack White’s Sixteen Saltines sounded raw and rich while Gotye’s Somebody That I Used To Know staccato tempo was punchy and crisp.

If you want to fill a room with music the Audio Dock Air can easily do so as its volume can go pretty high without distortion. For those who want a true multi-room audio system the Audyssey Audio Dock Air can be used with up to four versions of itself in tandem.

As with most wireless systems the Audyssey Audio Dock Air will lose some of its luster when you are having trouble with your wireless network. In those times you can simply connect your device via the included 3.5 mm audio cable. For those who want to listen through headphones the front position 3.5mm jack allows that ability.

Another thing to be aware of with the Audyssey Audio Dock Air is when picking it up you will want to hold it by the center plastic section. Grabbing it from the sides will push your hands through the speaker filters and probably into the speakers themselves.

Since there is no power button or sleep function the Audyssey Audio Dock Air is always on which is strange since the Audyssey’s Lower East Side Media Speaker tends to go to sleep on their own after several minutes of inactivity. For those “green” techies this may be a turn off as these speakers a bit of an energy vampire.

Conclusion:

Audyssey is a highly regarded well-known name in the field of audio. Last year at TestFreaks we looked at their Lower East Side Media Speakers, which we found to be quite impressive. The Audyssey Audio Dock Air is equally notable with its excellent sound stage wrapped in a portable package. AirPlay is still a relatively new Apple technology and nobody has released a must have device for it until now.

The Audyssey Audio Dock Air is the best sounding AirPlay system that I have encountered. It lists for $399 but can be found online for up to a $100 less. The Audio Dock Air is a perfect portable system that takes advantage of this wireless music technology. Using this device with a newer iOS device or PC/Mac will provide wireless audio in one’s home or work place at a touch of a button.

Pros:
+Excellent sound
+Portable
+Set up relatively simple
+Works with up to four Audio Dock Airs to create multi-room system

Cons:
-Expensive
-Side speakers limits placement options
-Take care in carrying it
-iOS biased
-No power button

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of Audyssey Audio Dock Air is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

Specifications:

Capdase 320A MKeeper SLR Camera Bag

The Capdase mKeeper camera bag has been beautifully designed to hold and protect your SLR camera. It features several moveable compartment dividers which allows you to securely hold the camera body and 2 lenses and an external flash, for the tightest fit, which provides the best protection.

The case is made from a strong nylon, and has a rainproof cover in the back-pocket to keep it perfectly dry. The bag has a comfortable shoulder strap, which is fully adjustable and removable, belt clips and a padded carrying handle, so you have lots of options when carrying around this mKeeper camera bag.

Features:
- Ultra-strong nylon material provides excellent protection for your camera and accessories
- Inner padding provides knock and bump resistance
- Rain cover is included, so your equipment stays totally dry when it rains
- Can be carried by a comfortable grab handle, or an adjustable should strap with non-slip patch
- Features inner and outer pockets, with zips, so you can store your accessories securely
- Strong rubber feet protect the contents from impact when placed on the ground

Compatibility:
- Perfect for medium – large sized Digital SLR cameras
- Space for memory cards, filters, batteries, lenses and a flash
-Internal size: 320 X 160 X 200 mm
-External size: 350 X 200 X 230 mm

Price: £29.99 / $48.20

There’s no special packaging for this product, just a plastic bag, not much else is needed.

The bag is nylon and it’s gray in color with a handle on the top.

On the back is what looks like a pocket but it isn’t actually, inside is a waterproof cover that you stretch and pull over the entire case.

On the bottom of the case you’ll find rubber non-slip feet for protection and support.

The top flap is usually something that you open to reveal the interior but that’s not so with this case. The flap is held on with velcro and it opens to show two zippered compartments, one on the front with smaller pockets and then the main area of the case.

When you open up the main flap you’ll be greeted with three section and inside you’ll find the shoulder strap. The top flap actually has its own netted pocket for any other accessories you might need.

The shoulder strap is long and features a padded section for comfort. The strap attaches to hook on the side of the case with metal clips.

So back to the inside, you’ll find three compartments with dividers between them.

The center compartment has a a ‘U’ shaped divider for lens support.

The right and left compartments have rectangular dividers.

All of the dividers, including the main ones are attached with velcro and can be moved as needed so you can configure the bag for your specific needs.

I used the bag with a Canon 10D, T3 and Lens along with other accessories.

Once I got the camera and parts in the case I found there’s plenty of room for even the largest of cameras.

The case offers a lot of protection for your camera and components, they should be well protected.

It’s a camera case, you put stuff in it, there’s not much more to say really.

Conclusion:
The Capdase 320A MKeeper SLR Camera Bag is truly a versatile bag that should be more than enough to handle all of your photographic needs. Yes it’s a rather large bag but it’s meant to be as the cameras meant to go in it are large, but you don’t need to use it for DSLR cameras you can use it pretty much any camera as well. The bag is more than big enough to carry your camera, batteries, lenses, memory cards and many other accessories you might need to bring along with you for a day of shooting photos.

The case is nicely made of durable nylon and includes a handy rain cover built right into the case itself to offer protection from the elements. You’ll be able to take the bag with you no matter what the conditions and your equipment will be safe and secure in the Capdase 320A MKeeper Camera Bag.

Pros:
+Plenty of room for all your photography needs
+Includes padded shoulder strap
+Space inside can be arranged as needed
+Includes built-in rain cover

Cons:
-None really

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of Capdase 320A MKeeper SLR Camera Bag is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

The big selling point for the HyperX 3K SSD is the lower price point. Its predecessor is still available and will run you more than the newer version. While the HyperX 3K SSD is supposed to be a hair slower you really are not sacrificing performance with this newer model.

The Kingston HyperX 3K SSD comes as either a stand-alone drive or in an upgrade bundle. For today’s review we will look at the stand-alone version.

Kingston ships the HyperX 3K SSD in a black cardboard box with the drive pictured in the center of the box. The packaging is very similar to the original HyperX SSD model. Additional drive info is found on the front of the package including drive capacity, Sandforce support, three-year warranty and the drive’s read/write speeds.

For the first time since I have been reviewing SSDs the reference benchmark is indicated on the front of the package. Kingston chose ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.41 which measures raw transfer rates for both reads and writes. Also I’ve been told in private that ATTO seems to be the SSD bench standard.

On the back is a list of package contents and some features of the drive in numerous languages. The Kingston HyperX 3K SSD comes in 90, 120, 240 and 480 GB capacities. Kingston advertises sequential readsusing SATA Rev. 3.0 of 555MB/s for the 90GB/120GB/240GB capacities and 540MB/s for the 480GB version and sequential writes of 510MB/s with 90GB/120GB/240GB and 450MB/s on 480GB using SATA Rev. 3.0.

Opening the box we find the HyperX 3K SSD, a getting started guide, 3.5” mounting bracket and two sets of four screws.

Appearance wise Kingston changed the color scheme of the HyperX 3K SSD to black and slate grey. Gone is the classic HyperX blue and silver; this was probably done to differentiate this drive from its predecessor. The casing is still composed of aluminum. The HyperX and Kingston names are seen on opposite corners of the SSD.

The HyperX 3K SSD is a 2.5-inch form factor measuring 69.85 x 100 x 9.5mm. The internals of the drive features a 2nd Generation SandForce Controller SF-2281 and MLC NAND (3k P/E Cycles). This is down from 5k P/E Cycles found on the original HyperX SSD. This is probably one of the reasons why the newer drive is more affordable than the older model.

In addition the drive supports OS capable TRIM and garbage collection at the firmware level. Kingston provides a three-year warranty with free technical support, which is always handy to have.

The included bracket allows the HyperX 3K SSD to be installed in a desktop environment, while its normal 2.5” size makes the HyperX 3K SSD laptop friendly. Kingston does not recommend this drive for a server environment and indicates this on the back of the packaging.

Specifications:

Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD

HyperX performance at an exceptional price.

Budget-minded gamers and enthusiasts will benefit from the lower price of Kingston’s new HyperX 3K SSD. This solid-state drive combines premium 3000 program-erase cycle NAND with the second-generation SandForce controller. Its lower price means more users can experience ultra-responsive gaming, multitasking and multimedia computing power. 3K loads games and applications faster, increases frames per second (FPS) for an improved gaming experience and allows for quick transfers and edits of large media files. HyperX 3K provides high-speed SATA Rev. 3.0 (6Gb/s) performance and blazing fast random and sequential read/write speeds. SandForce DuraClass technology provides the latest data integrity protection for ultimate endurance over the entire life of the drive. HyperX 3K SSD comes in a sleek, black and aluminum case design, accentuating the look of any power user’s system. For added peace of mind, HyperX 3K SSD is backed by a three-year warranty and legendary Kingston reliability.

Features

• SandForce controller technology
• High-speed SATA Rev 3.0 (6Gb/s) transfer speeds
• Advanced Wear-Leveling Technology
• User-Configurable Over Provisioning
• Performance — incredible speeds for enhanced productivity
• Reliable — much less likely to fail than a standard hard drive
• Shock-Proof — dropping your notebook no longer means losing your data
• Cool & Quiet — runs silent and with no moving mechanical parts to generate heat
• Innovative — uses NAND Flash memory components
• Supports TRIM — enhances device wear leveling by eliminating merge operation for all deleted data blocks
• Supports S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology)
• Guaranteed — three-year Kingston warranty, free technical support

Specifications

Capacities: 240GB
Sequential reads: SATA Rev. 3.0 – 555MB/s
Sequential writes: SATA Rev. 3.0 – 510MB/s

Form factor: 2.5″
Dimensions: 69.85 x 100 x 9.5mm
MTBF: 1,000,000 Hrs

Total Bytes Written (TBW):
240G: 153.6TB (based on 140GB per day for 3 years)

Interface: SATA Rev 3.0 (6Gb/s), SATA Rev 2.0 (3Gb/s)
Controller: 2nd Generation SandForce Controller SF-2281
Components: MLC NAND (3k P/E Cycles)
Warranty/support: three-year warranty with free technical support

Sustained Random 4k Read/Write: 240GB – 40,000/57,000 IOPS

Max Random 4K R/W: 240GB – 86,000/60,000 IOPS

PCMARK Vantage HDD Suite Score: 240GB: 60,000

SMART Tools: Self Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology to ensure a healthy drive

Power Consumption:
0.455 W (TYP) Idle / 1.58 W (TYP) Read / 2.11 W (TYP) Write

Price: $279.99 (from Amazon at time of review)

nstallation of the HyperX 3K SSD is straightforward. When it is first recognized by a Windows system you will need to initialize then format it. Once this is performed we see 224 GB of useable space.

For testing the following platform with the latest Intel Rapid Storage Technology was used:

CPU: Intel Core i7 2600K

Motherboard: Asus P8P67 PRO

Memory: 8GB Mushkin DDR3 1300

Video Card: Galaxy 460GTX

Hard Drive: Western Digital 250GB 7200RPM, Samsung 1 TB 7200 RPM

PSU: Ultra X-Finity 1000-Watt Power Supply

As a frame of reference the following SSDs were used:

Kingston HyperX 240 GB – 555MB/s read, 510MB/s write – SATA Rev 3.0 (6Gb/s)

Kingston SSDNow 200 V+120GB – 535MB/s read, 480MB/s write – SATA Rev 3.0 (6Gb/s)

Intel X25-M SSD 80 GB – 250MB/s read, 70MB/s write – SATA Rev 2.0 (3Gb/s)

Verbatim SATA II 128 GB – 270GB/s read, 225MB/s write – SATA Rev 2.0 (3Gb/s)

Benchmarking was performed using ATTO Disk Benchmark, Anvil Storage Utilities and AS-SSD.

ATTO Disk Benchmark tests both the read/write speeds of the drives. Looking at the results we see the three SATA Rev 3.0 capable drives from Kingston were the fastest in terms of reads and writes with the HyperX 3K coming out on top.

Next up is the Anvil Storage Utilities, which shows the HyperX 3K, coming out ahead of its peers once again.

Finally here are the AS-SSD results using the Main, Copy and Compression Benchmarks.

Benchmarks are great but how does the HyperX 3K SSD perform in real world settings? Using the SSD as the boot drive for a Windows 7 system made for stellar performance as boot times were less than ten seconds. While a fully operations desktop was obtained in under a minute. Applications loaded significantly faster when compared to a platter based hard drive.

Overall the HyperX 3K SSD is a solid performer. The inclusion of TRIM and garbage collection will keep the drive clean and in optimal shape for the life of the solid state drive.

Conclusion:

With the HyperX 3K Kingston continues its trend in producing reliable, fast solid-state drives. Coming in at a lower price point than the older version, the HyperX 3K provides lightning fast read/write speeds for the enthusiast, gamer or power user. Installing the HyperX 3K into one’s desktop one laptop will significantly improve that machine’s performance. In the past the best way to upgrade one’s computer was by adding more memory; in 2012 it seems an SSD is the best way to supercharge your sluggish system.

Pros:
+Stylish HyperX appearance
+Lightning fast speeds
+TRIM Support
+Three year warranty

Cons:
-3k P/E Cycles instead of the 5k P/E Cycles found on the earlier HyperX SSD

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

And as usual we start with the box pictures:

Open the box and find another box with eh HIS logo.

When you open it up you’ll find the 7870 in a styrofoam casing.

Under the styrofoam tray you’ll find some accessories:

The accessories include a folder with the driver disc, instructions and a case sticker. You’ll also find the crossfire bridge, DVDI to VGA adapter and the software disc.

Then here’s the card, it’s rather large, at least it’s the biggest of the 7000 series so far I’ve seen. I like the black and blue styling of it.

The one thing you’ll notice if you look close is the heatpipe cooler that the 7870 uses.

Here’s a side view, the card uses two PCIE power connectors.

Through the venting on the side you can see the heatpipes a little better and then here’s a closer look at the two power connections.

The other side is rather plain really.

The card comes with two Displayport connections along with an HDMI and a DVI connection.

Here’s the back end of the card:

The PCB is blue, not much else to say..

Specifications:

HIS 7870 Fan 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E DVI/HDMI/2xMini DP

The card offers outstanding graphics quality and excellent cooling technology for enthusiastic users. With core and memory clocks at 1000MHz and 4800MHz, the card ensures the highest graphics enjoyment during hardcore gaming. Equipped with HIS outstanding cooler, the card is 13 °C cooler than the reference cooler and provides a less than 28dB quiet environment for daily tasks and movies. The card is made of HIS high quality component. It has better OC capability with overclocking equipment and longer life span with safety design. The card also comes with the innovative overclocking software by HIS – iTurbo. User can control the temperature, speed and power in their hands!

Cooler- Equipped with HIS outstanding cooler, the card is 13 °C cooler than the reference cooler.

Quiet- It’s extremely quiet and noise level is less than 28dB. You feel the quietness when viewing photos, browsing webs, checking your email and playing movies in UVD mode.

iTurbo- iTurbo is your software assistant to control your graphics card to be quiet, cool and experience overclocking by simply pressing the iTurbo Button!

User Friendly Overclocking Software: Cooler, Quieter, OC!- iTurbo’s Fan Control and Fan Monitoring allow easy adjustment of your card to its maximum cooling performance or to run your card quietly!

Press iTurbo: OC Right Away!- With the smart auto overclocking function, users can experience a slight performance boost for selected HIS graphic cards with just one click!

Powerful Overclocking Software- Either you wish to unleash its full potential or to make it more environmental friendly, iTurbo is ready for you!

Specs:
Product Code: H787F2G2M
Cooler: Fan
GPU: 7870
Core Clock: 1000 MHz
Memory Clock: 4800 MHz
Memory Size: 2048 MB
Memory Type: GDDR5
Memory Interface: 256 bit
Interface    PCI Express: 3.0 x16
Card Dimension: 12.7 x 4.2 x 25.6 cm (HxWxD)

Price: $339.99 (from NewEgg at time of review)

My system:

Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3 Motherboard

Corei7 2600K

12 gigs of ram

Here’s’ what I like to call a family photo of the 7000 series of AMD cards and you can probably guess which is the 7870. From left to right, 7870, 7850, 7770 and 7750.

Not pictured above, but I’ve also included the 6670 and the 465 GTX for comparison below.

So let’s get this started with the old favorite, 3DMark06:

Here we can see a 1400 point increase when using the 7870, not bad.

Next up is 3Dmark Vantage running at Performance default settings but with the resolution changed to 1920×1080.

Here we see over 3000 points more using the 7870, not bad here again.

Next up is 3DMark11 running all three tests for Entry, Performance and Extreme.

An 1100 or so increase, less than I expected but decent.

Next up is Aliens vs Predator. I ran two sets of tests at medium settings and maximum settings, both at 1920×1080 resolution.

As you can see both the 7850 and the 7870 can easily handle Aliens vs Predator on high or max settings. The 7870 does a bit better though.

Next up is Section 8 which runs off the Unreal 3 engine, settings were all maxed out at 1920×1080 resolution. Yeah it’s not the most taxing game but it was there.

So pretty much every card can run this game as I expected and I’m sure you did too.

The next game is Mafia II at a resolution of 1920×1080. I ran two different sets of tests with the settings on max but one set was with Antialiasing on and the other is Antialiasing off.

The first test is with Antialiasing on:

Antialiasing is hard on cards but the 7870 handled it well as did the 7850. The other cards were playable with some slowdowns.

The next graph shows AA off:

No surprises here, all of the cards can handle it well, at leas the 7750 and up can.

The next game to test is Just Cause 2 with two tests for this one, but are at 1920×1080 resolution. In the graph you’ll see two sets of results, one labeled Max and one labeled Med or medium. Max is everything on maximum setting while medium is Motion Blur is off, Texture Detail is High, Shadow Quality is Low, Antialiasing is 2x, Anisotropic Filtering is 4X, Water Detail is Low, Objects Detail is Low, Decals are On, Soft Particles are On, High-Res Shadows are Off, SSAO is Off and Point Light Specular is Off. I used the Concrete Jungle test level for all of these.

On medium settings we can see the the top four cards are close but when maxed out the 7850 and the 7870 do very well with an oh so slight increase for the 7870.

The next game is Dirt 3 and it’s two more tests with two more graphs.

The first is maximum setting with everything set to High or Ultra where available, the highest settings of the game.

Here we see a nice increase when going from the 7850 to the 7870, still playable though with most cards.

Then here’s testing with the setting on high:

A bit of an increase but is it worth it in the long run? Dirt 3 is more than playable with a lot of the cards in the chart. Then again, one game is just that, one game, you want a card that’s going to run every game you want to play smoothly.

Next we have Batman Arkham Asylum on maximum settings at 1920×1080 resolution.

Look at that though, all over 100FPS and that 225FPS, that’s ridiculous isn’t it?

Last we have Batman Arkham City and with two graphs, one medium settings and one with maximum settings.

Finally I’ve found a card that can really handle Batman Arkham City, at least on medium settings.

Let’s see how it does on maximum settings:

The average and maximum FPS are pretty good but the minimum is below that magic 30FPS number sadly, it’s close though, really close.

AMD Eyefinity:

Just like with the HIS 7850, I ran the 7870 in Eyefinity mode with dual monitors.

I ran Aliens vs Predator first off at maximum settings and compared it to the 7850 both at a resolution of 3984×1080.

7850: 24 FPS

7870: 29 FPS

Still not really playable at maximum settings with Eyefinity, oh well.

Next up is Dirt 3 at 3976×1080 resolution and I ran two tests with settings on Maximum and High.

Max Settings:

7850 Minimum FPS: 26.18

7870 Minimum FPS: 35.94

7850 Average FPS: 30.80

7870 Average FPS: 41.35

High Settings:

7850 Minimum FPS:54.37

7870 Minimum FPS: 69.64

7850 Average FPS:65.65

7870 Average FPS: 83.00

There’s a nice increase here it seems when moving from the 7850 to the 7870 getting almost 20 more FPS on average with settings on high.

Just Cause 2:

I then ran the same Just Cause 2 tests, maxed settings and high settings, as I ran earlier but at the resolution of 3984×1080.

7850 Max Settings: 24.19 FPS

7870 Max Settings: 32.40 FPS

7850 High Settings: 54.28 FPS

7870 High Settings: 57.20 FPS

A slight increase for both cards but not what I would call amazing.

Batman Arkham Asylum:

The settings were all on maximum and the resolution was 3948×1080.

7850 Minimum FPS: 67

7870 Minimum FPS: 75

7850 Average FPS: 88

7870 Average FPS: 99

7850 Maximum FPS: 109

7870 Maximum FPS: 124

The 7850 was more than enough to handle this game, the 7870 is overkill I think.

Temperatures/Noise:

Ambient room temperatures for most of my testing was 24C (+/- .3C). I monitored the temperature of the 7870 and the highest it hit was 79C but that was only a second or so, and under load the card basically maxed out at 78C. The fan never went above 43% no matter what I did, and yes at this speed the card was audible but not overly loud at all. I played many games and the card never really hit those temperatures, it was only when actually stressing it with OCCT GPU test did the card hit these temps. I manually set the fan speed to 100% and it was unbearably loud, I’m glad the card, under normal use never hits that speed.

Overclocking:

Sadly, try as I might I couldn’t get this card to overclock and be stable. I played with the Core and Memory frequencies and even the voltages and no matter what I did I couldn’t get the card stable for everything I did. Sure it would work for a few games and benchmarks and then the system would crash. I tried and tried and I just couldn’t do much with this card. This happens sometimes, it’s just the luck of the draw really, some cards can overclock and some can’t and I apparently got one that can’t. Even not overclocking I’m more than happy with the performance of this card. I explained iTurbo in the HIS 7850 review and it works well

I’m going to finish this off with a little note about power consumption and the fact that I was having some problem with this card and I kept getting blue screens. I spent days trying to figure it out and then I decided to try swapping the power supply from my 850watt up to a 1250watt. When I did that everything was perfectly fine and no more blue screens. I wondered what the real problem was as I thought the 850watt PSU should have been more than enough to handle my system and the card. I checked the specs of both power supplies and found that that the 1250watt power supply actually has a higher amperage on the 12v lines, so it seems this card needs a more beefy power supply. My power supplies are both from Sparkle but only the 1250watt is certified by AMD so I guess that was the problem. I personally thought the 850watt was more than enough and I was wrong, not all power supplies are created equal. This is something to keep in mind for the future for not only me but for you as well.

The price of the 7870 is bit high but you’re paying for new technology as always happens when something new comes out. The question is would it be worth it to spend the extra money going from the 7850 to the 7870? I’m not sure, on one hand yes as I’m the type of person who needs or actually wants the best of the best and to be able to game on the highest settings possible.

Conclusion:
The performance of the HIS 7870 is excellent, there’s no doubt about that and if you’re looking for a video card that can handle your gaming needs then I suggest you seriously take a look at this one.

I’m happy with this card personally but I want the best performance I can get and for the price I think it gives me that.

The power supply issue I ran across is something that everyone should keep in mind. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that an AMD certified PSU fixed my BSOD issues, so if you’re thinking of getting a 7870 then you might want to double check your power supply specs to make sure it’s up to the task.

As far as overclocking, as I said it’s the luck of the draw and and I didn’t get one that can do much of anything sadly.

Pros:
+Runs quiet and cool
+Excellent performance
+PCIE 3.0 interface
+Multiple connection choices
+Big card but not too big

Cons:
-Need certified power supply apparently
-Requires dual power connections
-Card not that great at overclocking

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of HIS Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition Video Card is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

The DataTraveler Elite 3.0 is a capless drive, which means folks like myself who invariably lose their caps can rest easy. With USB 3.0 speeds of 70MB/s read, 30MB/s write it should be fast enough for most users.

The Kingston DataTraveler Elite 3.0 arrives in a clear plastic package with the drive displayed in the center of the white cardboard card bearing the Kingston logo. On the back is a compatibility table for the drive and the three major operating systems. The DataTraveler Elite 3.0 is designed to work at USB 3.0 speeds with Windows versions from XP (SP3) up to Windows 7 and Linux 2.6. The drive is also recognized on OS X (10.5 and up) as a USB 2.0 drive unless there is an add-on USB 3.0 solution such as a PCI-e or Express Card.

Inside the package we find just the drive itself. Usually Kingston provides a black lanyard with their USB flash drives but this model did not have one in the package.

Kingston offers the DataTraveler Elite 3.0 in three capacities – 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. It has advertised speeds of 70MB/s read, 30MB/s write using USB 3.0 and 30MB/s read, 25MB/s write with USB 2.0. For today’s review we received the 32 GB version.

The previous Kingston USB 3.0 drives I reviewed were the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 and DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 that were thick and solidly constructed. The DataTraveler Elite 3.0 is composed of plastic and seems less solid than those other two models; not that it is poorly constructed it just feels less solid.

Here are some size comparisons against the Kingston USB 3.0 flash series and some standard USB 2.0 flash drives.

It is composed of slate grey, piano black and white plastic measuring 2.7185″ x 0.8504″ x 0.437″ (69.05mm x 21.6mm x 11.1mm).

The bulk of the body is the slate grey component, which has “DataTraveler Elite 3.0” printed in silver letters on one side and an embossed “Kingston” on the other. The white section acts as the “rail” for opening and closing the drive and has several linear grooves in the middle of the body that appear to be for style not function. A single groove on the side of this white area seems designed for sliding the drive open or closed.

On the black segment the drive capacity is printed in gold lettering. When the drive is connected a blue LED in this area reveals drive activity. Pulling the black segment towards the grey segment will reveal the USB connector. Missing from this flash drive is a cap which is a nice feature although the end of the USB connector does remain exposed to the outside world.

Since this is a USB 3.0 drive, the connector is blue unlike the black of USB 2.0 drives.

Specifications:

DataTraveler Elite 3.0

Kingston’s DataTraveler Elite 3.0 USB Flash drive is designed based on the USB 3.0 standard and is an economical choice for fast, multi-stream data transfer. With USB 3.0 speeds up to 70MB/s read and 30MB/s write, it’s ideal for desktops and notebooks with USB 3.0 ports and also reduces data transfer times on system with USB 2.0 ports. DataTraveler Elite features a convenient, tri-colored, capless design with a slider.

Features:

-USB 3.0, backwards compatible with USB 2.0

-70MB/s read, 30MB/s write² (USB 3.0)

-Capless, tri-colored design

Specifications:

Capacities: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
Speed:

-USB 3.0: 70MB/s read, 30MB/s write

-USB 2.0: 30MB/s read, 25MB/s writeConvenient: capless design with slider; no cap to lose
Guaranteed: five-year warranty, free technical support
Dimensions: 2.7185″ x 0.8504″ x 0.437″ (69.05mm x 21.6mm x 11.1mm)

Price: $52.89 (from Amazon at time of review)

The DataTraveler Elite 3.0 comes preformatted in FAT32 making it easily recognized by Windows 7 using either USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 connection.

For testing I used a Core i7 2600K on an ASUS P8P67 Pro which has built in USB 3.0 ports. For benchmarking ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46, Crystal Disk Mark 3.0.1 x64, and DiskBench 2.6.2.0 were employed.

Starting with ATTO using the USB 3.0 interface we see speeds of 70 plus MB/Sec on reads and in the high 30s on the writes. With the USB 2.0 interface the read is just below 35 MB/sec and just above 25 MB/sec on writes.

Next we look at Crystal Disk Mark. Here we see USB 3.0 speeds of 71.61 on reads and 37.68 on writes using the Sequential benchmark. The USB 2.0 benchmark matches closely to ATTO’s results with reads of 34.6 and writes of 26.73.

The final benchmark run was DiskBench which is more of a real world test as it uses files and folders off the user’s PC for testing. The Copy File bench used with a 2 GB file had a transfer rate of 34.303 MB/sec, while the Read File bench showed an impressive 127.823 MB/sec when reading a single file and 76.555 MB/s when reading two files that are threaded.

Conclusion:

Kingston’s first budget USB 3.0 flash drive is a solid performer meeting its advertised speeds without any issues. While the DataTraveler Elite 3.0 is not as fast as it’s predecessors from Kingston it does pretty well compared to the older USB 2.0 standard flash drives. The drive is well made with a capless which means no lost caps for the owner.

Currently it retails for around $50 at Newegg making it one of the fastest USB 3.0 drives at its price point.

Pros:
+Good performance
+Small
+Portable
+Capless design

Cons:
-Less rugged than other Kingston USB 3.0 flash drives

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of Kingston DataTraveler Elite 3.0 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

Cougar uses a honeycomb and mesh hybrid intake design for improved air cooling. The case also has vented slot covers and holes for water cooling solutions. The inside of the Solution is large enough to accommodate a high end graphics card of up to 32 cm.

The Cougar Solution PC Case arrives in a brown cardboard box with black printing. This seems like an more environmentally friendly packaging but may make the case seem less exciting when displayed next to other artistically covered PC case boxes; but lets not judge a book by its cover. No one really remembers the package their PC case arrives in.

The front of the box has an image of the top face of the Cougar Solution while the back has additional images along with a list of features. On one of the sides is a list of case specs.

Opening the box we see the Solution held in place between two Styrofoam inserts and covered by a plastic bag.

Inside the package we find the Cougar Solution case, a bag of screws and parts, two water cooler vent covers and an instruction booklet.

The Cougar Solution is a black mid tower case composed of black steel and plastic. Cougar offers it with and without an included power supply. We received the one without the power supply for our review. The case measures 19.8cm x 42.5cm x 48.4cm. On the front, top and sides you will notice a honeycomb and mesh intakes to help keep the PC housed inside cool.

Looking at the front panel we see the Cougar name and logo in the center along with three 5.25” mesh drive bay covers above it. Beneath this logo is a removable mesh hybrid 3.5" shield. At the very top of the face are a hard drive LED, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 connectors, audio inputs and a power button. The lower section has a vented area for the storage drives.

On top of the case are two vents that can fit two 120 mm fans.

The left side door of the Solution has a honeycombed mesh vent opening and is composed of black steel. This vent can accommodate two 120 mm fans as well. The right side door is also solid black steel.

At the back of the Solution is an included 120 mm fan, opening for the PC’s mounting bracket, two rear water cooling holes, seven expansion slots, and an opening for a bottom positioned power supply.

Finally the underside of the Cougar Solution has two additional vents, one for the PSU fan and the other for an optional 120 mm fan. Four rubber feet keep the Solution off the floor to help improve the air flow in/out of the case.

Looking at the inside of the case we find a motherboard tray with elevated standoffs. This is a nice feature as most screw in standoffs have one gets stuck when trying to remove your motherboard. There are additional holes for standard screw in standoffs but if you use an ATX or micro ATX then you won’t need them. In the center of this tray is a raised standoff for centering the motherboard in place.

The internal drive cage has room for two 120 mm or one 140 mm fan along with vents.

The included rear 120 mm fan is black and orange. While the case is mostly black it does have orange accents mostly inside the case.

For installation of optical and hard drives there are locking mechanisms making the Cougar a screwless design in this respect.

Specifications:

Cougar Solution PC Case

-Unique honeycomb & mesh hybrid intake design with rugged strong appearance

-Support for 8 fans: front 120mm fan x2 or 140mm fan x1; rear 120mm fan x1; top 120mm fan x 2; bottom 120mm fan x1; left-side panel 120mm fan x2

-Support for longer high-end graphics cards (up to 320 mm)

-Screw-less mechanisms on 5.25", 3.5" & HDD device

-Support 2.5" HDD/SSD

-Holes on the rear panel for water cooling solutions

-Retaining holes in the motherboard tray for easy accessing the backplate of the CPU cooler

-Cable routing holes on the motherboard tray for easy routing and hiding cables behind the MB tray

-Vented slot covers for better cooling performance

-Air filter for the power supply fan

Support 8 fans for strong cooling performance

-Top : 120mm fan x 2 (Optional)

-Front:120mm fan x 2 or 140mm fan x 1 (Optional)

-Bottom : 120mm fan x 1 (Optional)

-Left side:120mm fan x 2 (Optional)

-Rear:120mm fan x 1 (Included)

Case Type: Middle Tower

Motherboard Type: Micro ATX / ATX

Dimensions: 198(W) x 425(H) x 484(D)

Available Color: Black

External 5.25" Drive Bays: 3

External 3.5" Drive Bays:1

Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 6

Internal 2.5" Drive Bays: 1

Expansion Slots: 7

I/O Panel: USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 1

MIC x 1, Audio x 1

Screw-less Mechanism:

5.25" Screw-less Mechanism: 2

3.5" Screw-less Mechanism: 1

HDD Screw-less Mechanism: 2

Cooling System

Max installed: 8pcs fans

Front: 120mm Fan x 2 or 140mm Fan x 1

Top: 120mm Fan x 2

Rear: 120mm Fan x 1

Bottom: 120mm Fan x 1

Left side: 120mm Fan x 2

Bottom Fan Filter: 2

Rear Water Cooling Hole: 2

Maximum VGA Length: 320mm

For testing I installed the following system into the Cougar Solution:

ASUS F1A75-V PRO

AMD A4-3400 Llano 2.7GHz Socket FM 5-V PRO FM

Kingston Hyper X 8 GB DDR

Intel X25-M 80 GB

Samsung 320 GB
NZXT Hale 82 800 Watt
LG 20X DVD +/- RW

Installation of the motherboard, power supply and drives took approximately 45 minutes. Cougar built the case with plenty of cable routing options with the back of the motherboard tray having lots of open areas. My wire management skills are fair at best so I did not go crazy with running wires.

Cougar provides black screws to match the interior of the case but does not provide washers to prevent accidental shorts with the motherboard.

There is plenty of room for the motherboard and the CPU punch out on the back of the tray lined up nicely with the ASUS F1A75-V PRO used for testing.

The front face of the Solution pops off by pulling it from the bottom of the case. With this off you can remove any of the three 5.25" screens for installation of optical or other 5.25" sized drives.

Installation of the 3.5" and 5.25” optical drives was simple with the hands free connectors. Turning the orange knob perpendicular to the drive unlocks it, while moving it into a parallel position locks it.

The Solution can fit seven 3.5" drives and one 2.5" such as an SSD which rests at the bottom of the drive cage and is screwed in from the bottom of the case.

One feature that of the Solution that I initially found exciting was the inclusion of the USB 3.0 port on the front of the case. Sadly this port connects to a spare USB 3.0 connector off the back of one’s PC; it does not use an internal connector like the standard USB 2.0 front panel connector. This means you will need to feed this USB 3.0 out the back of your machine to take advantage of this front port. This was a bit of a disappointment.

Another problem was the audio cable was too short as the high definition audio header was just out of reach on my motherboard. The area for the top fans seems like it will be tight one fans are installed.

Once everything was installed the Solution housed computer was fired up and you can see the blue LEDs of the hard drive and power indicators. Since the inputs are at the front of the case; they were easy to access and use.

The included fan was very quiet while providing good airflow down onto the motherboard. Additional fans will add to the price of the case build.

Conclusion:

The Solution is the budget PC case from Cougar with numerous features not found in similar cases. It is solidly built with plenty of options There is plenty of room to increase case airflow but since the Solution only includes one 120 mm fan, this means more fans will add additional expense to the PC build.

Currently the Solution retails for $59 but is sold at Newegg for around $49. If you hurry right now there is a $15 rebate making the final cost $35 making the Solution a fantastic deal at this price.

Pros:
+Good Wire Management
+Solid construction
+Plenty of room for expansion
+Low price
+Quiet 120 mm fan

Cons:
-Only one fan included
-USB 3.0 front panel solution not ideal
-Short audio cable

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of Cougar Solution PC Case is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

One such company is 4iiii Innovations who have designed a device to help athletes and exercise lovers to visual and audio feedback of critical work out and/or racing data. The Sportiiiis is a multicolored LED boom that attaches to any pair of glasses providing feedback of various parameters such as heart rate, cadence, power, speed, and pace.

Sportiiiis works in conjunction with ANT+ compatible devices to provide this data. The Sportiiiis attaches to any pair of glasses, sitting on the periphery of the users vision allowing full visualization of the road while providing continuous data. Two capacitive buttons on the unit allow the user to interact with the device with one hand. Besides visual feedback the Sportiiiis also provides verbal information.

The Sportiiiis comes packaged in a clear plastic box with the device visualized through the front of the box. On the top of the package is a list of performance data that the Sportiiiis can monitor such as speed, power, heart rate and cadence. On the back is an image of the Sportiiiis with the various features listed and functions of the device.

Inside the package we find the Sportiiiis boom, a micro USB charging cable, two mounting brackets, ten zip tie wraps and a sheet with the web address for the software download and user guide. 4iiii Innovations sells the Sportiiiis by itself or with an included heart monitor. For today’s review we will look at the standalone version. Since I did not have any ANT+ devices to test with the Sportiiiis, the company was kind enough to also send me their heart monitor as well.

The Sportiiiis unit looks similar to a Bluetooth headset minus the earpiece. It comes in all black and is composed of plastic at the backend where a speaker, multifunction button and micro USB port are found while the boom is composed of a rubber malleable material and contains seven LEDs that can be programmed by position. Like recent Bluetooth headsets the side of this device functions as a capacitive touch sensor called the TipTap that changes the function of the unit with a simple tap.

The speaker is located towards the rear of the device and provides audio prompts when triggered by the TipTap Sensor or by a program setting. In front of the speaker is the micro USB port that is protected by a rubbery shield to keep it safe from moisture. The red multifunction button adjacent to this port is also capacitive touch button, which powers the Sportiiiis on and off while controlling other functions as well.

At the top of the Sportiiiis is a rail for attaching the unit to the mounting brackets.

Specifications:

Sportiiiis

Sportiiiis is a Heads Up Display and audio system that gives you feedback on critical performance data. This enables you to maintain form, keep your eyes on the road and always be safe. Sportiiiis attaches to virtually any pair of glasses and guides you to your target workout zone with multi-colored LEDs positioned in your peripheral vision. A simple tap of the unit gives you a verbal update on your current performance. Sportiiiis is compatible with ANT+ enabled devices for easy integration with your current training tools.

-Multi-colored LED boom provides instant visual feedback of critical workout and racing data (Heart Rate, Cadence, Power, Speed, Pace, and other ANT+ compatible data)

-Lightweight unit (<10g) with adjustable boom easily attaches to virtually any pair of glasses

-LED boom is positioned in your secondary vision, guiding you to your target zone while eliminating the need to take your eyes off the road

-Built-in speaker provides spoken audio prompts with detailed levels of performance

-TipTap technology allows changing between paired sensors and receiving audible zone updates by simply tapping on the unit

-Intuitive software enables you to create personalized zone profiles

Sportiiiis Specifications

Unit dimensions, LxWxH: 12.7 x 1.5 x 2 cm

Weight: <10g

Battery: rechargeable lithium-ion

Battery life: 9 hours, typical

Battery charge time: 75 minutes (fully discharged)

Operating temperature: -20°C to +60°C

Price: $199 (starting price)

To get started using the Sportiiiis you will need a pair of glasses, ANT+ sensor, Windows or OS X computer with USB port, an Internet connection and a pair of scissors.

Initial charge of the Sportiiiis unit takes 75 minutes to complete a full charge and is done by plugging it into your computer via the USB cable. The LEDs on the boom will glow a steady green when it is fully juiced.

While it is charging you can download the installation software from here. 4iiii Innovations offers both Windows and Mac versions of the software. Once it is installed you can launch the Sportiiiis configuration utility.

Upon starting the software with the Sportiiiis connected it will check for the latest firmware and allow the user to update it if necessary.

The configuration software is set up with three setting tabs – Profile, Zone and Setup. From Profile you can set up your name, e-mail, height and weight along with age and gender. This data is used to calculate various performance parameters such as optimal heart rate.

The Zone tab allows the customization of how the LEDs respond to input from the ANT+ sensors. Zones can be set for either running or biking in conjunction with the various sensors that the Sportiiiis can interact with. Specific zone programs can be named and saved from this section of the software.

For instance target heart rate and zones can easily be adjusted by sliding each of the diamonds that correlate to the Sportiiii’s LED’s up or down. The device also has an auto announce option, which provides spoken updates during your workout. Once you’re set click on the “Ready To Upload” button to save these values to the Sportiiiis unit.

From the setup tab you can configure audio volume, auto announce interval, LED brightness and more. Once any changes are made make sure you click the “Ready To Upload” button to save these settings.

Once the software is setup it is time to attach the Sportiiiis to your eyewear; which can be a little tricky at first. 4iiii Innovations provides two mounting brackets allowing the use of multiple pairs of eyewear. The mounting brackets are attached to the glasses using small zip ties. For such a nice piece of tech, zip ties seem like a low end solution to attaching the Sportiiiis to a pair of glasses; however zip ties will attach to most every style of eyewear.

The Sportiiiis boom can be placed inside or outside the lens. Once you find the proper positioning of the mounting bracket simply tighten the zip ties and clip the excess from the ties off. Now the Sportiiiis unit can be slid on and off the glasses although you are left with a zip tied on bracket when not exercising.

4iiii Innovations provides ten zip ties which is nice especially if you make a mistake with your first application like I did. My initial error was not positioning the bracket on the outside of my eyewear before tightening the ties causing me to waste a pair of zip ties.

Now you’re ready to use Sportiiiis for your exercise activity. The red multifunction button turns the device on and off along with switching it between run and bike mode, adjusting volume, pairing new sensors or clearing all paired sensors. If the heart rate strap came with your Sportiiiis then it should be already paired and ready to go.

To pair a different ANT+ device tap and hold the multifunction button until you hear the second set of three beeps. You should hear an audible confirmation when the new device is successfully connected.

The TipTap Button allows different actions with the amount of taps. One tap will provide audio feedback of the currently displayed sensor while two taps will switch to the next paired sensor.

For testing the Sportiiiis was used during workouts primarily running. While the boom is out of your direct line of sight, it will take some time to get used to it being in your field of vision. Overall the Sportiiiis used in conjunction with the 4iiii’s heart rate monitor worked very well.

Target heart rate was achieved by hitting the green in the center of the seven LEDs on the boom. Going over or under will get you into the yellow LEDs while orange and red means you are too far under or over your target range.

Battery life was in the seven to seven and half range, which meant I could get a week and change out of one charge which is pretty good.

Controlling the device with one hand was simple, however there were times when the red multifunction button did not respond to my initial touch and required a second press.

The most exciting part of the Sportiiiis system is that it is continually evolving. The software and firmware are frequently being updated with new features. Plus since it is ANT+ capable new sensors can be added in the future.

Conclusion:

The Sportiiiis is a new tool for the workout warrior’s arsenal. It provides real time feedback to help improve performance and results for a runner or bicyclist. Keeping one’s eye on the road instead of looking down at a wrist watch or other performance computing device will help keep the user safer on the road.

Since 4iiii Innovations is consistently updating the software and firmware the Sportiiiis seems like it will only get better with time. If you are an exercise fanatic then the Sportiiiis is definitely a worthwhile investment.

Pros:
+Can be universally mounted
+Simple to set up
+Lightweight
+Intuitive software
+Works with ANT+ devices

Cons:
-Zip ties seem like a crude way to mount device
-Multifunction capacitive button did not always register with first press.
-Mounting bracket ties up pair of glasses
-Expensive

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of Sportiiiis Heads Up Display for Athletes is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

I don’t know about a lot of you, but I’ve got small kids and I like to game but I can’t exactly do that at night time when they’re trying to sleep. Of course my wife isn’t exactly thrilled either by the booming sounds while I’m playing games. I work from home so I can play games in the day time when no one is here, but I’m supposed to be working so I don’t do it often. I don’t play as much as I want to basically and I’ve been meaning to get a PS3 headset but it’s just one of those things that aren’t a priority for me so I’ve never got one. The Xjacker PS3 kit though now allows me to use my regular headphones for my PS3 to play games without disturbing anyone, and I think it’s just great.

The XJacker PS3 Kit comes in a very small and colorful box with specs and features listed.

There are no instructions in the box, they’re on the side and you can get more detailed one on the XJacker website.

You’ll find three things in the box, USB dongle, ‘Y’ audio cable and a lengthy set of audio cables as well.

The Xjacker kit can be hooked up two way, via RCA style jacks or via a standard 3.5mm jack if you TV or stereo has one. The female end in the picture below is what you would plug your headphones into.The cord is a rubberized style, personally I would have rather seen an anti-tangle cloth style, but these seem more than durable.

The included ‘Y’ audio cable is for those types of headphones that have a microphone but only a single audio jack. This is the type you’d see that can be used with most phones.

The included USB dongle hooks to your PS3 and it’s so you can use a microphone for in-game chatting ability. It’s just a small little gadget with a USB connection on one end and a female audio jack on the other.

Specifications:

XJacKer PS3 Kit

WUT?! I CAN HAZ A PS3 GAMING HEADSET?

YES! In fact, you already haz a headset! All you need is an XJacKer PS3 Kit to unleash your headset’s latent PlayStation 3 potential! Yeah, you read that right. XJacKer PS3 Kits turn any standard PC headset into a full-fledged PS3 gaming headset!

Get stereo game sound + PSN chat via the same headset you already own!

Coordinate tactics in BF3, complain about noobs or boosters in MW3, or talk some sh*t in Madden 12. Remember, good communication is critical to multiplayer gaming. And if you’re not playing well with others, then you’re really just playing with yourself.

So don’t waste a grip of cash on a new PlayStation 3 headset . . . get an XJacKer PS3 Kit and save your hard-earned cheddar for what you really want – MORE GAMES!

FEATURES:
-Turns your existing, standard (non-USB), PC/computer headset into a PlayStation 3 gaming headset
-Get stereo game audio from your PS3, your TV, or your stereo via our exclusive Game Sound Multi-Cable
-Enables PlayStation Network (PSN) chat using your PC/computer headset’s microphone via our exclusive PSN Chat USB Dongle
-Enjoy up to 10-feet of distance and mobility
-Fully-backed by our 1-year warranty
-MSRP:  Only $19.99 USD

SPECIFICATIONS:
XJacKer Game Sound Multi-Cable:  Exclusive custom quad-head cable with a 3.5mm TRS jack, a 3.5mm TRS plug, and stereo RCA piggyback connectors; Total length = 9.8 feet (3 meters)

XJacKer PSN Chat USB Dongle:  Exclusive, ultra-low profile USB dongle with integrated DAC/ADC, USB Type A Male plug, and a 3.5mm TRS jack

Beats Adapter (for iSoniTalk cables):  A free bonus from XJacKer; Compatible with Beats models using the Beats iSoniTalk cable; 3.5mm TRRS jack; dual 3.5mm TRS plugs; 10 cm./4 in. of OFC (oxygen-free copper) cable

Price: $19.96 (from Amazon at time of review)

You can use regular headphones or combination headphones with microphone with the Xjacker PS3 Kit. I got out my Denon AH-D510R Over-Ear Headphones that have an in-line microphone. The main reason I used these was to test the little ‘Y’ audio adapter that came with it and see if it would work for the microphone and it does!

My PS3 is hooked up to my HDTV with an HDMI cable so that meant I had to dig around and find the original component A/V cable to be able to use the XJacker Kit. you can hook up the kit without it but you’ll need to have 3 regular 3.5mm audio jack on your TV or on your audio system and it seems neither one of mine do, so I’m stuck with the A/V cable.

You have to hook the RCA audio connections on the XJacker to those on your PS3 cables, then the other end just hooks right to your headphones. This configuration is just for sound though the headphones and not using the microphone. If you’re like me and use HDMI you’ve got to go into the PS3 settings and adjust it for multi-audio output which I found you can have the sound playing through both the headphones and your TV or stereo at the same time if you don’t do it right. So pay attention when you’re changing the settings. Of course if you’re already using the component cable you’ll just use the pass-though part but that might have a problem of it’s own depending on how far the connection is away. The included cable is long but if your connection is on the back of your TV then you’re going to lose whatever length that is to get there.

Now if you want to use the microphone in your headset you need to use the included UBS dongle. Some headsets have separate microphone and audio jacks and some don’t, especially those that can be used with phones. The Denon pair I have is one such product so I had to use the special splitter that can in this kit. According to the specs and the Xjacker site this splitter is only really for Beats branded headsets so I wasn’t sure it would even work for the Denon set but I’m happy to say it worked fine.  To use the audio jack the front USB port was the obvious choice for me. If you have the type of headphones with separate audio and microphone plugs then you obviously won’t need the ‘Y’ adapter and you’ll just plug the microphone directly into the dongle.

The XJacker kit includes a nice long cable but that’s negated when you use the USB adapter as now you’re limited to the length of the cable on your headphones sadly. Just like above when I changed the audio settings you’ll need to do the same thing for the microphone. In the settings you’ll find one labeled USB microphone when it’s plugged in.

For me I’m really not into the whole chatting thing in games, the little obnoxious children that I’ve ran across annoy me. Honestly I prefer single player games myself, but I do play some multiplayer just without chatting. So for me the microphone part of this isn’t that big of a deal as I won’t be using it so I have the whole length of cable to work with in addition to the length of the A/V cable. This is nice as it let’s me sit farther away from my HDTV and not right up on it.

It’s seems like there’s quite a bit to do to get this working but not really, just hook it up and change a few settings and you’re done. The difficulty or length of time it takes to get this up and running is going to depend on your personal set up.

As far as clarity of sound, it sounded perfectly fine to me with the headphones being hooked up this way, no static or buzzing, it works well.

The one thing I noticed is that there really isn’t any volume control when hooked to the PS3, at least I didn’t notice one. There is a volume control on the PS3 but it’s not like it’s easy to access while playing games. The basic or default level seemed more than adequate though for my personal needs.

Conclusion:
The XJacker PS3 Kit is one of those things that I didn’t know existed but it’s one of those things that I think I’m thankful does exist. I found this kit to be very useful and easy to use overall. It’s a great way to save some money as I think pretty much everyone already has some sort of headset floating around. The XJacker PS3 Kit solves the problem of needing and having to spend money on a separate headset for your PS3. There’s not much to the kit, but what there is seems well made and should last through even the most intense gaming sessions.

There are a few small issues but you running into those will depend on how your system is set up and what kind of access you have to audio jacks.

Personally I really like the XJacker PS3 Kit, I know it will be in use often in my home.

Pros:
+Inexpensive
+Very simple to use
+Can save you money
+Nice long cable

Cons:
-When using USB microphone you’re limited by headphone length
-Cable length might be an issue in some instances
-Need to have regular PS3 component cable handy

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of XJacKer PS3 Kit is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

So here we are again with the box. The Helo TC Assault package has a nice window on the front to show you the helicopter and basic specs and features listed.

When you open the box you’ll find a plastic tray holding the helicopter and a smaller box, on the back of the tray is the bag of accessories.

The accessory bag contains the UBS cable for charging, spare main rotor blades, a tail rotor, a piece of linkage and six RedEye missiles.

The helicopter looks like something out of the military but it’s all black, more like a stealth helicopter.

I think the main or coolest feature of the new Helo TC Assault is the addition of missiles that actually fire! There are two on them, one on each side of the helicopter in rocket pods. The detail on the helicopter is pretty good, it looks like a real helicopter.

The tail rotor is odd as it faces up instead of on the side like most helicopters.

On the bottom you’ll find the infrared receiver, power switch and the charging port.

Specifications:

Helo TC Assault

Launch Missiles From Your Remote-Controlled Helicopter
Fly with your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Android smartphone

Protect your airspace and attack intruders with Helo TC Assault. Your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Android smartphone is the remote control for this super-durable, super stable helicopter. Control the heli with your device’s touchscreen, or tilt to steer. Then when you target is in sight, launch Helo TC Assault’s twin RedEye missiles.

Sure, other RC helis may try and start something. Only Helo TC Assault is powerful enough to finish it.

Fire in the Hole!
Fires included RedEye missiles from two spring-loaded launchers built into HELO TC Assault’s fuselage

Flight Modes
Use a virtual joystick on your Multi-Touch display to maneuver the chopper, or tilt your device to move the chopper forward, backward, and side to side.

Flight Plans
Record and store up to three Flight Plans. Make up routes among the furniture, missions to fly, obstacles to avoid, goals to achieve, and replay them later with your friends.

Price: $59.99

I like RC helicopters so I also have the original Griffin Helo TC so here’s both for comparison:

There’s an obvious difference between them, the original is more metal than plastic, while the Assault is mostly plastic. They both seem fairly well made though.

The first thing you’ll need to do is charge your helicopter, this is done via USB and there’s a an LED in the USB connection to let you know it’s charging and when it’s done.

The Helo TC Assault has an extremely bright white LED in the front, I guess it might be considered a headlight.

The original Helo TC only worked with iOS devices but the Helo TC Assault works with both iOS and Android devices. I’ve got Android phones and tablets and an iPod Touch 4th Gen. My phone is the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate which is running Android 2.3.

To play with the Helo TC Assault you’ll need to download the app from the marketplace, either iOS or Android. The flight deck is your control and you just put your phone into the deck and connect the 3.5mm jack into the phone. The helicopter is controlled by infrared but it uses audio signals or pulses and translates them into the infrared signals. The Flight Deck has soft springy tabs that hold your phone or MP3 player in place.

I also tried it with two tablet I have, the Le pan TC970 which runs Android 2.0 and the Idolian TouchTab 10 which runs Android 4.0 and the Griffin app wouldn’t run on either one it would just says force close and that was it.

I also tried it with my iPod Touch just because I was curious for comparison.

The app and controls is pretty much exactly the same for both Android and iOS, just some slight aesthetic differences really. The interesting thing is that you can control both the Helo TC and the Helo TC Assault wit the same app, you just push the button to switch between them.  There is a an Expert mode you can turn on or off, it just basically limits the throttle and when in expert mode there is no limit. You can control the helicopters with an on-screen joystick or you can use the gyros for motion or tilt controls. I found the joystick to be much easier than the motion controls. The app can be used by either left or right handed people, it lets you switch the joystick position to the left or right.

There is a Help section that has quite a bit of info for beginner and expert pilots alike.

Here’s the flight controls:

On the left is a slider for the throttle, slide it up for more power, slide it down for less. In the middle you have three buttons for Flight Plans, Settings and Emergency. The Flight Plans button allows you to record your flights and replay them. The Settings buttons is what I showed you above. The Exclamation point is the emergency landing, if you get into trouble just press the button and the helicopter will shut down and hopefully land safely. On the right side at the top you’ll see trim buttons, then below that is the joystick for flight control. On the bottom is the first buttons, you can fire the right or left missile independently of each other.

I used both Android and iOS for testing and I actually found that the iPod seems to work better for some reason, not sure why. The controls just seem more responsive as does the helicopter when using the iPod Touch.

Speaking of responsive, it’s an infrared helicopter so there is a slight lag in your commands to the helicopter. When you do something like adjust the throttle there’s about a one second lag between you doing it and it actually happening. This takes quite a bit to get accustomed to honestly, and you’ll crash often just because of this lag. Once you use it for a while though you should figure out that you need to make your adjustments before you actually want the helicopter to do it. You sort of have to think ahead really.

Crashing is something else, it’s going to happen no matter how skilled you are or how much experience you have. Luckily the Helo TC Assault is a tough little bird, I’ve crashed it plenty of times and it’s still going strong. The blades have some nicks in them but the helicopter still flies and it’s no worse for wear really.

Firing missiles is hard to do in flight as you sort of have to take your finger or thumb actually off of the joystick really to fire. I found that landing and firing is easier and more accurate. I was surprised that you can fire the missiles without flying. Once you really learn how to fly you’ll get better at firing but still it’s hard to do while the helicopter in in motion and have any real degree of accuracy.

Conclusion:
The Griffin Helo TC is a fun little toy yes, but it can take a lot of practice to get accustomed to flying it especially since it’s infrared. You’ll crash a lot but luckily the Helo TC Assault is very rugged and durable and thankfully Griffin included spare parts for you just in case you get shot down over enemy territory and need to make repairs. The Helo TC Assault is much more than just a little helicopter, this thing fires missiles and that just makes things more fun of course. I like the fact that you can control it with either Android or iOS devices, but I found that the app is picky in what it can actually run on, specifically for Android devices.

Pros:
+Works with both iOS and Android
+Tough little helicopter
+Includes spare parts

Cons:
-Infrared control means slight lag
-Not exactly accurate with missile fire
-Takes a lot of practice

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of Griffin Helo TC Assault Remote Control Helicopter is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

The SuperTooth Crystal is a versatile Bluetooth car speakerphone as it can play back music from Bluetooth A2DP enabled phones, announce GPS instructions as well as function as a hands free system. This last feature is great for those with stringent hands free driving laws. The Crystal is simple to install and pair up. Plus it works flawlessly with the iPhone 4S and Siri.

The SuperTooth Crystal comes packaged in a black cardboard box with the speakerphone visualized through a clear plastic window. On the sides of the package is a scaled image of the device in profile to provide the user an idea of its actual size. In the back is a list of the package contents and multi-language list of product features.

Opening the package we find the SuperTooth Crystal speakerphone, a USB to micro USB cable, USB car charger, a metal clip and user guide. SuperTooth offers the Crystal in five colors – black, silver, blue, purple and white. For today’s review we will look at the black model.

The feature set on the Crystal is pretty impressive as it has a Lithium Ion battery that has a 20 hour talk capacity, and 40 days of standby time coming from a three hour charge cycle, Bluetooth A2DP capability allowing the speakerphone to play back music or GPS voice commands and MultiPoint technology allowing the Crystal to connect to two phones simultaneously.

The Crystal weighs in at 100 grams or 113 when attached to the metal visor clip and measures 4.9 cm x 13 cm x 1.4 cm. It is composed of black-brushed metal appearing plastic with four buttons around the perimeter and a silver disk surrounding the main Multi-Function button. Its pill shape is reminiscent of the Sony Ericsson phones from the early 2000s.

The SuperTooth logo is seen at the bottom right of the unit below the speaker area.

On the top center area are the Volume control buttons, while on the left hand side adjacent to the Multi-Function button is the microphone. The Multi-Function button is used to answer, end calls and voice dial on the Crystal. On the bottom we find the End/Reject call and Power buttons. At the center of this Multi-Function button is a phone icon that is illuminated by a blue LED when is use.

On the back side of the Crystal we find a micro-USB port for charging the unit and a magnetic disk for attaching the device to the clip in one’s vehicle.

The clip is composed of solid black colored metal. SuperTooth also includes a Micro Auto Charger that has an output of 5V/0.5A for charging the Crystal when used with the included USB cable.

Specifications:

SuperTooth Crystal

Clip, connect, drive!

The SuperTooth Crystal is a Bluetooth car speakerphone. It links wirelessly by Bluetooth with your phone and allows you to have hands-free calls while driving. Keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel!

The SuperTooth Crystal doesn’t require any installation. Just attach it to your car’s sun visor via its durable, magnetic clip and enjoy hands-free calls while driving!

Drive in style!

The SuperTooth Crystal features an ultra sleek design and high-quality finishings to fit perfectly into any car.

It is user-friendly with its forefront, big buttons making access to the key commands much easier.

Talk around the clock!

The SuperTooth Crystal provides up to 20 hours of hands-free talk time or 40 days of stand-by time with a 3 hours charge of its lithium-ion battery.

You’ll never be short of battery, as the SuperTooth Crystal beeps when its battery is low.

Sweetie AND your boss! The SuperTooth Crystal supports Multipoint technology. It is very practical if you have both a personal and a business mobile phone, as it can be connected to both phones simultaneously. You don’t have to choose anymore!

The intelligent speakerphone The SuperTooth Crystal’s fully automatic pairing feature makes it easy to use for anybody. Just enter your car, bang the door, and the SuperTooth Crystal will automatically reconnect to your phone. For added convenience, it will beep to confirm reconnection.

Keep tabs on battery life You’ll never run out of juice with SuperTooth CRYSTAL. To check battery status, glance at the battery meter that automatically displays in the status bar of your iPhone .

GPS friendly The SuperTooth Crystal supports Bluetooth A2DP to stream music directly from compatible phones. It can also announce turn-by-turn navigation from all Bluetooth A2DP-enabled smartphones.

Technical specifications:

- Bluetooth hands-free kit version 3.0

- Quick fixation on sun visor via metal clip

- Headset and hands-free profiles

- Multipoint : 2 phones can be paired simultaneously

- Streams the music of your phone / Announces GPS instructions of your smartphone via Bluetooth A2DP profile

- Low battery audio signal

- Automatic pairing

- Full Duplex

- DSP

- Operating range : 10 meters

- Frequency : 2.4 GHz

- Rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery

- Voice recognition dialing (if phone supports)

- Last call redial

- Reject incoming call

Size and weight:

Height: 49 mm

Width: 130 mm

Depth: 14 mm

Weight: 100 grams / 113 grams (with metal clip)

Battery life:

Talk time: 20 hours

Stand-by time: 1 000 hours

Charging time: 3 hours

Battery type: Lithium-Ion

MSRP: Not Yet Available

For testing I used the Crystal with the iPhone 4S. Pairing was a simple process as the Crystal goes right into pairing mode when first powered up. All I needed was to go into the iPhone’s Settings->General->Bluetooth and select the Crystal from the pairing choices. The process is automatic from that point as the iPhone 4S did not need a pairing code.

Installation of the Crystal in one’s vehicle involves sliding the metal clip onto one of the front window visors and then attaching the Crystal via its built in magnet to the clip. Removing the Crystal is simple as pulling it off the clip.

Turning on the Crystal is accomplished by pressing the power button for one to two seconds until you hear the audible Bluetooth noise indicating the Crystal is now on. Now the speakerphone will handle all of your phone’s audio unless you select otherwise off your handset. Handsfree calling can be accomplished by pressing the MultiFunction button and then using voice commands if your phone has that capability. Using the iPhone 4S activated Siri when pressing the Multi-Function button. To hang up simply hit the Multi-Function or End call buttons on the Crystal unit.

Answering an incoming call is as simple as pressing the Multi-Function button.

If you don’t have voice command, initiating a call from your handset will then transfer the audio over to the Crystal.

Like most Bluetooth audio devices the call clarity on the Crystal ranged from excellent to poor but that has to do more with the cellular service than the Bluetooth device. Overall the incoming and outgoing audio was on par with the built in Bluetooth device found in my wife’s GMC vehicle.

Music playback worked as advertised although the speakers from the SuperTooth Crystal are far from hi-fidelity. I would not chose the Crystal over my cars built in speakers but if you hear music off your Bluetooth enabled device then the Crystal will work in a pinch. GPS instructions from my Navigon app worked as advertised.

Battery life matched the advertised specs as I was able to get two solid weeks of use out of one charge of the Crystal. A nice feature of the Crystal with an iOS device is the addition of a battery indicator on the home screen.

Conclusion:

Overall the SuperTooth Crystal is a great hand’s free Bluetooth option for those who use their cell phones frequently in their automobiles. This device allows drivers to comply with hands-free laws while making in automobile phone calls less of a nuisance.

Priced at $69 the Crystal is an excellent deal. The excellent call sound quality on the Crystal is on par with the built in Bluetooth system in my wife’s GMC. The magnetic locking system allows the unit to be easily carried around by the user or hiding it out of site when leaving one’s car. It uses the latest Bluetooth 3.0 technology along with A2DP audio playback.

The only knock I have with the unit was the music sound quality playback but that is not the Crystal’s primary focus. I know the SuperTooth Crystal will a constant traveling companion in my car for quite a long time.

Pros:
+Simple set up
+Good quality audio during calls
+Excellent battery life
+Works flawlessly with Siri
+Battery life indicator on iPhone home screen

Cons:
-Music playback sounds tin-ny

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of SuperTooth Crystal Bluetooth Speakerphone is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

As usual we start off with the packaging. The VooMote Zapper comes in a small plastic box.

On the back you’ll find the specs and features listed in a fold out section.

Inside you’ll find a brief instruction manual and a QR Code to help you easily download the needed app.

The VooMote Zapper is just a very small device that attaches to your iPod or iPhone or even your iPad.

On the bottom you’ll find the infrared LED array which includes four LEDs for range.

Specifications:

VooMote Zapper

Product Design  Universal Remote Control for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Say goodbye to the days of switching from app to app or fumbling for the right remote.  The all-in-one VooMote Zapper software and hardware combine all you need for an entire home entertainment experience. With VooMote Zapper App, you don’t have to sacrifice customization for convenience. Consolidate all your remotes, TV Guide functionality (coming 2012), facebook and twitter (coming 2012) and still define custom remote layouts, programming and much more!

Tech Facts-  VooMote Zapper comes in 8 colors.
VooMote Zapper attaches to the dock connector of your iDevice. It adds infrared functionality to your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad allowing you to control all your electronic devices. It’s as small as a paperclip and fits in every pocket. VooMote Zapper is compatible with iOS 5.

Range-  VooMote Zapper’s 4 built in IR transmitters guarantee a bullseye every time.
We know you want to be able to sit in your favorite chair hassle-free and have an intuitive remote that reacts faster and better. Therefore, Zapper has 4 built-in IR transmitters (Mini Blasters) allowing you to tilt, turn and twist your iDevice and never miss a single command.

Setup Wizard- Set up your VooMote Zapper quickly and easily.
Unlike other products with complex instruction manuals and online installation websites, our set up wizard will guide you through the entire set up process in just minutes with no need for any external resources. The software is available as a free App on the Apple App store. The App guides you through the menu seamlessly so that you never get lost.

Room Control-  Your personalized set up for every room.
Room Control allows you to create device bundles in any room of your home. You can personalize your remote by giving each room a name and a matching icon.

Teach-In-  Learn in products with the original remote control
In the event that your product is missing from the database, you can learn it into VooMote Zapper using the original remote control. Point remote toward LED receiver and press the corresponding key that is glowing on the display.

One View-  OneView combines multiple remotes in one layout.
Select the activity you would like to control with a OneView.For example, you can combine both TV and DVD Player remote functionality on one screen. Customize the remote layout by using the drag/drop function.You can place more important buttons on your first screen and easily swipe to the second screen to use other secondary buttons.

One Touch-  Create an entire chain of commands with a single click.
The Zapper allows you to program macros to make your home entertainment even more comfortable. For instance, you can create a button, which turns on your TV, audio device and DVD-Player and then plays your DVD. Each button should be added in the order they should perform. Timing and order will be recorded.

Edit Mode-  Personalize your remote layouts by editing, copying, pasting or deleting buttons.
The edit mode lets you customize all remotes exactly the way you like. It allows you to edit the color, text and position of the buttons as well as delete, copy or paste buttons.

Gestures-  Initiate commands with simple finger movement.
With the Zapper you do not have to take your eyes off the TV for even a second. Gestures allow you to access all core functionality e.g. changing channels, turning up volume or pausing a DVD with a simple finger swipe.

Help-  The help points out vital functions and gives relevant hints.
If you have any questions at any point along the way we are there to help.Simply click on the question mark at the bottom left-hand corner of your screen and the “Help Function” will give you hints about what to do next.

MSRP Price: $69.95

Price $66.76 (from Amazon at time of review)

Here’s the VooMote Zapper next to my iPod Touch 4th Gen for scale:

Here’s my iPod with the VooMote Zapper attached to it. Yes you use your iPod upside down essentially when you’re using the VooMote Zapper.

The main thing you’ll need to do is download the app from the Appstore then you’re pretty much ready to go.

When you first start the app up you’ll be greeted with brief introductions to all of the features of the VooMote Zapper:

Once you’ve read all of that you can get started or you can take the tour which is kind of what I just showed you above. The next screen would be to choose the color of your Zapper, get Support if needed or you can rate the app.

On the first page you’ll need to create a room, obviously I’d start with the Living Room. You can setup many rooms actually so you can take the VooMote Zapper with you wherever you go, you could even take it to your friends house if you want.

If you hit the help button a nice diagram or overlay comes up to help you out:

To get started the first thing I did was find a remote for my Vizio 47” HDTV which is the model SV470XVT. The first thing you’ll need to do is pick the category of the device you want to use and then find the brand which is listed alphabetically.

The simplest way I found is to use the code scan feature. You turn the TV on then press the volume button until something happens.

Once it adjusts the volume on your TV you’ll then be given choices as it might find multiple remotes for your device. In my case there was five of them and they all worked, but I had to figure out which one was closest to my original remote and all of its functions.

The remote isn’t one page, depending on the remote it could be several pages to scroll through for all of the functions.  For my HDTV it was four pages to scroll through and it’s not quite the same as my physical remote is, at least the layout isn’t.  I think they changed the layouts a bit to make it easier to use where they put the most used functions first like power and volume control on the first page, then channel selection on the second page.

Once completed the TV appears in your ‘room’ and you’re ready to setup the next device.

Here’s what mine looks like with HDTV, Stereo, Blu-Ray and Cable Box ready to go. You just push what you want and you’re ready to control it.

Here’s my cable box remote, I have Verizon FIOS and the remote on the iPod is six pages that you’ve got to scroll through. Some of the options you see below are not on my Verizon remote and then there’s some that are missing as well. It’s not perfect but the most commonly used things are there I think, at least those I use the most.

Then there’s my Blu-Ray player which is a Panasonic DMP-BD655 model. The remote here is five pages to scroll through.

There’s also a Gesture Mode that allows you to swipe, or double tap or tap and hold for certain functions. All of the remotes core functions are able to accessed this way. I guess it’s nice to be able to do this, instead of looking down you’d just swipe or tap to do what you want to do.

Of course if your remote isn’t in the database you can also teach the VooMote Zapper the functions of your remote, you do this by pointing the remotes at each other and basically following prompts and pushing buttons. It’s fairly easy overall and it’s nice for things that might not be in the database like an off-brand media player.

I should note that even with all of the remote choices, it doesn’t seem like everything is there as would be on my physical remotes. The layouts also seem to be different. The majority of and most used functions are there though, at least that’s what I found for my devices.

You can go to the room view and pick your device or you can go to a sort of overview view and scroll through your devices to pick one.

Of course if you’re not happy with sliding through remotes and trying to find the right one you can create a custom remote that combines your remotes functions in what they call OneView. For example you could create one ‘remote’ that has the functions for your TV, Blu-ray player and cable box in one. It wouldn’t be everything but it would be the things you use most from each of the devices.  For example I only really use the power, volume and device switching buttons on my audio system and don’t need everything else. On HDTV I only use the power and device or input switching buttons, so I could create a remote that only has those buttons on it to make my life a bit simpler.

Another neat feature is OneTouch which allows you to chain button presses together. For example let’s say I turn my HDTV on, switch to HDMI 1, then my stereo then my cable box. You can program that in as just one button press to make life a little bit easier.

The range seems good, I had no problems controlling my devices from across the room or even in the other room. It’s infrared so of course it’s line of sight

This is a neat little device that’s for sure, and it might be something that I could use often but sadly the battery life on my iPod Touch 4th Gen is horrible, I only get about an hour from it and it’s been that way since I got it. Not sure what the problem is but oh well, I’m accustomed to short battery life on devices as I think most of us are.

Conclusion:
The VooMote Zapper is one of those products that’s just plain awesome in it’s simplicity and design. It’s very easy to use via the Setup Wizard and if you can’t find what you want or need it can learn what it needs to. Essentially it’s truly  a universal remotes in that it can control pretty much every device even if it isn’t in the database. The product itself seems well made, it is just as small piece of plastic with a connector on it after all, not much too it really. I think anyone with any level of gadget knowledge can pick this up and stat using it quickly and easily. It does have plenty of other features that I think most people will appreciate, just little things to make your life a bit easier.

The remotes I found for my devices weren’t an exact match, but they were close enough that I didn’t miss anything. The one thing I think most people will notice the most is the layout, it’s really nothing like the physical remotes are. I just know by feel on most of my remotes where the buttons are, with a touch screen there’s nothing to feel and things are in different places. Some remotes can get very large, having to scroll through six pages to find the function your need can be slightly annoying at times.

Pros:
+Easy setup
+Small and unobtrusive
+Tons of features
+More features to come in the future via updates
+Has learning mode

Cons:
-Not all functions available on remotes
-Scanning through several pages of controls can be annoying

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of VooMote Zapper Universal Remote is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

The SuperTooth HD comes in a plastic display style box with specs and features listed on the back.

Inside you’ll find the SuperTooth HD, USB cable, car adapter, quick start guide, assistant information and support info.

The car power adapter seems to be a regular or standard USB adapter so I’m sure you can use it with other things as well.

The SuperTooth HD is black with a metallic plate in the center of it. The device seems very well made, it’s much heavier than you’d expect it to be as it is a rather small device.

On the back you’ll find a strong metal clip to attach the SuperTooth HD to the visor in your car. The clip is attached tot eh SuperTooth HD with magnets actually, so you can leave the clip on your visor and that the SUperTooth HD with you if need be.

The knob looking thing is a knob for volume controls, then there’s a power button and a messaging button below that. There are two LED indicators for Bluetooth and battery as well, and that’s about it.

The speaker is located on what I would think is the bottom and there’s also a microphone here.

On the top end of the SuperTooth HD is another microphone, yes it has two microphone for noise cancelling capabilities.

Specifications:

SuperTooth HD

HandsFree Assistant: Compose and send SMS, emails and much more, all via voice!

Clip, connect, drive!
The SuperTooth HD is a Bluetooth car speakerphone. It links wirelessly by Bluetooth with your phone and allows you to have hands-free calls while driving. Keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel! The SuperTooth HD doesn’t require any installation. Just attach it to your car’s sun visor via its durable, magnetic clip and enjoy hands-free calls while driving!

The Bluetooth speakerphone you will hear from afar. Features Twin Speaker V Array Technology for enhanced audio power. Twin speaker V array technology The SuperTooth HD has two speakers with a 5 Watt audio output and a 5.4 Watt amplifier.

2 is better!!
The most advanced technology for an outstanding quality of emission and reception.
-Dual speaker
-Dual noise canceller ( DSP )
-Dual microphone

Perfectly user-friendly: A big, rotary button to keep your “hands free” as much as possible.
Volume DOWN: Easy and quick access – just turn the button left to decrease volume.   
Volume UP: Easy and quick access – just turn the button right to increase volume.   
Voice commands: Easy and quick access – just press the button to access voice commands menu.   
Redial command: Easy and quick access – just press the button for 3 seconds to redial the last number.

Specs:
Size and weight
Height: 125 mm
Width: 59 mm
Depth: 25 mm
Weight: 112 grams / 135 grams (with metal clip)

Battery life
Talk time: 20 hours
Stand-by time: 1,000 hours
Charging time: 3 hours
Battery type: Lithium-Ion

MSRP Price: $129.99

Price: $61.17 (From Amazon at time of review)

 The first thing you’ll need to do is charge the SuperTooth HD which is done over Blueooth so it’s takes a little while. When it arrived to me it was actually partially charged but it should take about 3 hours for normal charging time. The talk—time is about 20 hours and I can tell you I never even come close to that in a month so even after using it a few times there’s plenty or battery left.

When in use the SuperTooth HD lights up and then turns off when you’re not using it. The pairing indicator will blink blue every so often though.

I used the SuperTooth HD with my HTC Titan and had no problems pairing it. You can pair or connect it with two phones at once for usage but it can be paired with up to eight devices in total. Once connected the SuperTooth HD will sync with your phone, your contacts will be stored in the SuperTooth HD at all times.

The idea of the SuperTooth HD is to attach the clip to your visor then the magnets hold it in place. The magnets are very powerful actually and it never moved as I was driving, you’ve got to really pull on it to release it from the magnetic grip.

You can orient the SuperTooth HD either way as far as I can tell, the speaker can be facing you or not. The only difference really is that the writing will be upside down if you have the speaker facing you.

When you turn it on it talks! It’s a bit disconcerting at first but you get accustomed to it after a while sort of, I’m still not exactly happy with the robotic sounding female voice it has. I would much prefer something a bit more soft and sexy! Yes it’s a female voice which is fine for me as I’m a guy, but women might not be happy wit it and I really didn’t see a way to change the gender unless I missed it.

The call quality is very good overall, the volume can get super loud and I mean this thing is loud! The SuperTooth HD features two speakers with a five watt audio output with a 5.4 watt audio amplifier which is just overkill for something this small but you’ll never not hear a conversation again that’s for sure. You can drive with the radio on, windows down and you’ll still be able to hear the other person. it also features dual microphones for noise cancellation so your caller won’t hear your radio or the sounds outside and they’ll only hear you talking basically. It all works very well together to create an excellent calling experience for both parties. It does get loud and at extreme volumes it can get slightly distorted. if your phone supports it you can actually play your music from your phone right on the SuperTooth HD which is pretty cool.

The voice recognition works very well, but it’s sort of limited in that you can only really use the pre-programmed commands and you can’t just say ‘Call Tom’ as it won’t know what to do as it doesn’t know who the heck Tom is! There are plenty of voice commands built-in and you can customize a few of them.

Here’s the list of commands:

* Check battery        
* Am I connected?        
* What can I say?        
* Voice dial        
* Redial last number   
* Call home        
* Call office        
* Call voicemail        
* Call emergency        
* Call contact 1
* Call contact 2
* Call contact 3
* Call contact 4
* Call contact 5
* Cancel
* Answer
* Reject
* Ignore

The ‘Call Contact’ commands are the ones that can be customized, here you can add ‘Tom’ but just not his name, to call him you would have to say ‘Call Contact 1’ or whichever number you assign him. This actually involves creating new contacts in your phone book for these people that you want to call. Like if I wanted Tom to be my number one contact it would be .1Tom for him, then you’d do the same for the rest of the contact like .2Mike and .3Sara and so on until you finished. you’ll have to do the same for home, office, emergency and voicemail. So there is a little bit of setup involved in using the SuperTooth HD. Once you’re done adding these on your phone then you’ll need to re-sync it with the SuperTooth HD as it stored your phonebook. The commands like Voice Dial and Redial also have to be supported by your phone to be able to be used.

The SuperTooth HD is much more than a speakerphone, it can be your own personal assistant and I mean this thing can do pretty much everything and you do it all by voice command. You can send text messages by just speaking or send, listen and reply to emails or post to or listen to tweets on Twitter. If you’re on Facebook you can even post updates to it just by talking. You can create and mange event reminders along with audio notes with Evernote. The assistant can also tell you the weather, the news, sports scores or check on your finances just by using your voice and telling the assistant what to do. There’s plenty of other things the assistant can do as well.

The Hands Free Assistant feature is cool but it’s free for only six months, then you’ll need to choose between Basic or Pro versions. The basic is $3.99/month or $39.99/year, the Pro version is $5.99/month or $59.99/year. There’s differences between them of course like with basic you don’t get that much really, no weather, no reminders, no news, sports or finance. If you’re actually going to use it then I think it’s worth going the Pro route for the assistant.

    

Conclusion:
The SuperTooth HD is, at this point in time, one of the best Bluetooth speakerphone son the market in my opinion. On this site and the other site I write for an own I’ve tested quite a number of them and I have ta say I’ve yet to comes across one that is as feature rich as the SuperTooth HD. If you’re looking for a Bluetooth speakerphone that does everything, this is it seriously. If does what it’s supposed to do and much more, you could probably fire your secretary if you got one of these! Just kidding on the last part as I wouldn’t want anyone to lose their job, but yes it can do so much for you, it can make your smartphone even smarter and make you more productive and safe and legal on the roads.

Yes the SuperTooth HD is an excellent device but it’s not without some small issues like limited voice commands and the fact that you’ll need to pay monthly or yearly to really use all of its features. This whole subscription thing is not the greatest honestly I think. Technology is constantly changing and evolving and I’m sure SuperTooth will be coming out with a newer and better version in the future for the SuperTooth HD. My question of course is would ou be able to transfer your subscription to the new device? if you could that would be awesome, if you can’t well than that’s not awesome at all.

Pros:
+Tons of features
+Well made
+Clear and loud volume
+Long battery life
+Very good voice recognition
+Nice large volume knob
+Fairly easy to use

Cons:
-Must pay for subscription to use all features
-At high volume it gets slightly distorted
-Limited voice commands
-MSRP is very high compared to retail

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of SuperTooth HD Bluetooth Speakerphone is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

The box for the HIS 7850 is very similar to that of the HIS 7770 that I just reviewed, it’s got the big sword on it with specs and features listed, but it’s a bigger box.

Inside you’ll find the same black box with the HIS logo on it.

You’ll find the card all snuggled in styrofoam for protection and a basic instruction sheet.

Under the styrofoam card section is a removable bottom that has a folder along with a VGA/DVI adapter and a Crossfire bridge and a separate software disc.

Here’s everything all placed out for you to see:

The folder contains the driver disc and instruction manual.

The HIS 7850 card is black and it’s stylish and sleek looking with a clear blue fan in the center of the aluminum heatsink.

On the back of the card you’ll find DVI, HDMI and two Displayport connections so you’ve got options in how you want to hook it up. Having all of these connections means more monitors of course.

Here’s side views of the card, it has a fast and sleek look to it even on the sides. The Crossfire connection is there too.

On the back end of the 7850 is a single PCIE 6pin power connection. I’m surprised that a next gen card only needs a single power connection, but that can be a good thing.

Here’s the back of the card or the PCB side, it’s green and rather plain looking:

Specifications:

HIS 7850 Fan 2GB GDDR5 PCI-E DVI/HDMI/2xMini DP

Quiet
It’s extremely quiet and noise level is less than 28dB. You feel the quietness when viewing photos, browsing webs, checking your email and playing movies in UVD mode.

iTurbo
It is not good for the graphics card to be alone. Hardwares and softwares are made for each other. iTurbo is your software assistant to control your graphics card to be quiet, cool and experience overclocking by simply pressing the iTurbo Button!
User Friendly Overclocking Software: Cooler, Quieter, OC!
iTurbo’s Fan Control and Fan Monitoring allow easy adjustment of your card to its maximum cooling performance or to run your card quietly!
Press iTurbo: OC Right Away!
With the smart auto overclocking function, users can experience a slight performance boost for selected HIS graphic cards with just one click!
Powerful Overclocking Software
Either you wish to unleash its full potential or to make it more environmental friendly, iTurbo is ready for you!
iTurbo is compatible with all cards! Enjoy OC no matter what card you have!

New Design, New Experiences
PCI-e 3.0 Support
Armed with the latest PCI-e 3.0 bus design maximizes performance by delivering double bandwidth per lane of PCI-e 2.x. Paired the card with the latest platforms and get the ultimate performance!

More Graphics, Less Power
Optimized Power & Performance
The new architecture of the card gets more usable processing power for your money, enabling better frame rates in the latest games at high resolutions. In addition, with AMD PowerPlay™ &  AMD PowerTune technologies, you can optimize the balance between performance and power consumption of your system by adjusting the engine clock during runtime of the card. Manage the power and keep your wallet loaded!

Specs:
Product Code: H785F2G2M
EAN Code: 4895139007114
Cooler: Fan
GPU: 7850
Core Clock: 860 MHz
Memory Clock: 4800 MHz
Memory Size: 2048 MB
Memory Type: GDDR5
Memory Interface: 256 bit
Interface    PCI Express: 3.0 x16

Price: $239.99 (from Amazon at time of review)

Here the card installed in my system along with the 7770, the cards are pretty much the same size. They’re both rather small for next gen cards making them able to fit in most systems with ease.

Here’s the 7770 and the 7850 for comparison:

The shroud on the 7770 makes the card look a little bigger.

Let’s start out with the iTurbo software I mentioned earlier:

iTurbo Software:

HIS has just came out with software that they call iTurbo which can help you keep the card cool and quiet or overclock. It allows you to monitor and adjust fan settings along with the card itself.

The interface can be in minimized mode which is a small circle. pressing one of the buttons put it into full sized mode where you’ll se much more info. The word iTurbo in the center is actually a button that will automatically overclock the cad for you, but it barely does anything, you’ll be better off handling that manually I think.

The software has five tabs across the tab for Home, Info, Overclock, FanControl and Settings. The home screen just basically shows news and has links to update the drivers.

The Info tab is just that, information about the cards in your system. The bottom of the interface has a power status indicator that changes colors and a temperature display as well.

The Overclock tab lets you adjust the Core and Memort overclocks and save four profiles so you can quickly switch between them.

The FanControl tab is kind of self-explanatory, you can adjust the settings to your liking and save them as profiles to Quieter or Cooler.

The Settings tab has some basic things you can change.

I found the software to be rather useful and very easy to use, it also works with the 7770 that I recently reviewed.

Coming up is the testing section and I’ve put the HIS 7850 up against a VisionTek 6670, HIS 7750, HIS 7770 and a Sparkle Nvidia 465 GTX.

So let’s get into actual testing and we’ll start with the basics.

3DMark06 is up first:

So we’re off to a good start it looks like, a nice improvement over the 7770 and the 465gtx.

Next is 3DMark11 running at all three modes, Entry, Performance and Extreme.

There’s a nice improvement across all of the tests as you can see, the 7850 does very well.

Next up is 3DMark Vantage running at the Performance default settings at 1920×1080 resolution.

The CPU score dropped for whatever reason, but as you can see there’s a marked improvement in the GPU scores here.

Let’s more on to gaming starting with Aliens vs Predator. I ran two sets of tests at medium settings and maximum settings, both at 1920×1080 resolution.

Here’s the actual settings in screenshot form:

Then here’s the graph with the results:

Running at the medium settings we see a huge improvement in performance, running at maximum we can play the game with a decent 38.4FPS.

Next up is Section 8 which runs off the Unreal 3 engine, settings were all maxed out at 1920×1080 resolution.

All of the cards can run Section 8, no big deal here.

The next game I played was Mafia II at a resolution of 1920×1080. I ran two different sets of tests with the settings on max but one set was with Antialiasing on and the other is Antialiasing off.

The first test is with Antialiasing on:

Here we see a very nice improvement in the frame rates when moving to the HIS 7850 video card, the game runs fine with maximum settings on.

Next would be with Antialiasing off:

All of the cards see an improvement here, but that’s expected. The game still looks decent with AA turned off.

The next game is Just Cause 2 with two tests for this one, but are at 1920×1080 resolution. In the graph you’ll see two sets of results, one labeled Max and one labeled Med or medium. Max is everything on maximum setting while medium is Motion Blur is off, Texture Detail is High, Shadow Quality is Low, Antialiasing is 2x, Anisotropic Filtering is 4X, Water Detail is Low, Objects Detail is Low, Decals are On, Soft Particles are On, High-Res Shadows are Off, SSAO is Off and Point Light Specular is Off. I used the Concrete Jungle test level for all of these.

On medium it’s pretty much a tie but with the settings maxed out we can see the 7850 does a very good job at Just Cause 2.

The next test is two more tests with two more graphs, and it’s Dirt 3.

The first is maximum setting with everything set to High or Ultra where available, the highest settings of the game.

Here again we see a nice improvement when using the 7850.

Next would be on high or what I consider medium settings and at 1920×1080 resolution of course.

The next fastest card is the 465gtx and the 7850 easily gets almost 30 more FPS on average, that’s pretty good I think.

Let’s visit Batman with Arkham Asylum up first on maximum settings at 1920×1080 resolution.

There’s a drastic increase here, the game plays smooth as butter on the 7850.

Lastly we have Batman Arkham City and with two graphs one medium settings and on maximum settings.

First up is the medium settings:

Very good I think, very much playable at these settings.

Let’s see how the 7850 does once we turn up all of the settings:

The average FPS is 38, which isn’t bad but it does have a minimum FPS of 19, so there might be some slow downs here and there but overall I found the game to be very playable even at the highest settings.

AMD Eyefinity:

I don’t use Eyefinity personally, I’d like to but that would mean buying new monitors with displayport connections. I did configure Eyefinity for two monitors and run a few tests to see the performance. No pretty graphs, just some data for you.

For Aliens Vs Predator here’s the results at max settings at 3984×1080 resolution, I only got 24 FPS, but it was expected.

For Dirt3 I ran two sets of tests at 3976×1080 resolution. I ran Max settings and settings on High.

Max Settings:

Minimum FPS: 26.18

Average FPS: 30.80

High Settings:

Minimum FPS:54.37

Average FPS:65.65

Just Cause 2:

I then ran the same Just Cause 2 tests, maxed settings and high settings, as I ran earlier at the resolution of 3984×1080.

Max Settings: 24.19 FPS

High Settings: 54.28 FPS

Batman Arkham Asylum:

The last one I ran was supposed to be Batman Arkham City, but I couldn’t get it to work in Eyefinity mode so I ran Batman Arkham Asylum instead and that worked fine. The settings were all on maximum and the resolution was 3948×1080.

Minimum FPS: 67

Average FPS: 88

Maximum FPS: 109

Overclocking:

Sadly AMD has done some changes to their latest graphics drivers and they’ve made it rather hard to overclock. What they did was enable ULPS or Ultra low Power State and make it very hard to disable it. Supposedly you can disable it via the iTurbo software but it didn’t work for me, there’s also a couple third-party utilities you can get as well that can help you out with this or you can just edit some registry settings. I hate to say it but none of these worked for me, I had to find another work around that involved adding a couple missing .DLL files to my system. These DLL files were actually present in past AMD/ATI drivers, but they’ve been removed from the last couple generations. I’m not sure why AMD/ATI did this, it’s just a rather large inconvenience for people like me and most other enthusiasts out here and even the regular consumer. So I had a bit to do before I got any overclocking done.

The HIS 7850 run at 860mhz core and 1200mhz memory clock, so I did a bit of overclocking. The iTurbo software doesn’t allow for any voltage adjustments so you’re slightly limited in overclocking ability, but even without voltage adjustments I easily got the card up to a core clock of 1100mhz and the memory up to 1250mhz.

So I ran some more tests while overclocked and I found that I got some very nice improvements in the scores. The stability of the card was not affected at all, it ran perfectly fine though all tests and other recreational gaming as well.

As far as temperatures, the card ran at between 47C and 48C and then under load it only reached 72C. It was actually 71C most of the time under load and just once or twice hit 72C. I have to say that even under load the fan was virtually silent.

Let’s start with 3DMark Vantage, same settings, the default Performance settings with with resolution at 1920×1080.

Both scores went up, the CPU score went up slightly but look at that GPU score it’s almost 3000 points higher.

The next test would be 3Dmark11 again:

Again as you can see there’s a nice performance gain with just a bit of easy overclocking.

The next test would be Aliens vs Predator with all settings maxed and at 1920×1080 resolution:

The card does fairly well even when not overclocked, but you can get a few more FPS out of it when you overclock it.

The last test I ran was Batman Arkham City at max settings with a resolution of 1920×1080.

I was hoping for a little more of a gain on the Minimum FPS but I didn’t get it, still though there’s a decent increase in the average and maximum FPS that I got while overclocking over the stock settings.

Price is about $240 right now, depending where you look, but for that I think it’s worth it as it performs very well.

Conclusion:
Well I’m impressed by the HIS 7850 that’s for sure, I’m very happy with the performance of this card. It easily bests every other card I’ve got on hand and most importantly it let’s you play most every game out there on maximum settings and get decent frame rates. The HIS 7850 can be overclocked easily and without any additional voltage you see a very nice increase in performance. The card runs quiet and cool thanks to the cooler and fan combination that HIS attached to the card. It only uses a single power connection so it doesn’t draw that’s much power from your system, according to specs you’ll only need 500 Watt or more power supply to run it.

The new iTurbo software that HIS has just released is a nice companion to their card, it allows you to overclock your card easily and it also let’s you monitor and adjust the cards fans to keep things quiet or for maximum cooling efficiency.

For the price the HIS 7850 is well worth it, it costs less than half of a high end card but yet performs very well in most every game I tested.

Pros:
+Excellent performance
+Good overclocker
+Runs cool and quiet
+Small in size
+Software easy to use
+Low power, one PCIE connection

Cons:
-No voltage adjustments in software

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

To learn more about our review policy please visit this page HERE.

Review of HIS Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCIE Video Card is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog

I love graphics card boxes, the art on them is just so cool.  The box of the HIS 7770 features a large sword and of course specs and features listed.

It’s actually a cover for the black box inside.

When you open up the box you’ll find a basic instruction sheet and a folder with driver disc and instructions.

The 7770 is packaged well all nestled in a styrofoam nest with a VGA/DVI adapter off to the side.

The card itself is nice looking, it’s not all flashy like other cards out there and I like that. I like the basic black of it, it’s sleek and just looks fast. Under the shroud is an aluminum cooler with a clear blue fan to keep things cool.

The card is kind of small for what one would consider the latest generation at 21.2 x 12.5 x 4.1 cm, but size isn’t everything right?

Here’s a side view of the card where you can see the Crossfire connection:

Then here’s the bottom where the PCIE connector is. The 7770 is a PCIE 3.0 card that can be used if you’ve got an Ivy Bridge enabled CPU.

The HIS 7770 is a dual slot card as you might expect and on the end you’ll find two displayport connections, HDMI and a regular DVI port. So you’ve got choices when it comes to the type of video output you want to use or you could use all four for a nice Eyefinity setup.

On the back end you’ll only find one power connector so it doesn’t draw that much power.

The PCB is green and there’s not much special looking really.

Specifications:

HIS 7770 iCooler 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E DVI/HDMI/2xMiniDP

The card is targeted at the mass market with competitive graphics performances at good value. The card is the first card in the world tuned at 1GHz clock speed, offering significantly higher speed than the previous generation.

If you are looking for the most advanced performance card that flawlessly runs games and delivers outstanding overall performances for playing movies, photo editing as well as daily tasks, the HIS 7770 iCooler 1GB GHz Edition is the perfect choice.

iCooler -  Quieter
The card is equipped with the widely acclaimed HIS iCooler – certified by HIS that generates less than 28 dB in 2D mode. HIS iCooler provides an outstanding cooling performance and quiet environment. With HIS iCooler, the life span of the card is maximized while the noise level is minimized!

Quieter
HIS iCooler excels in noise management. It’s extremely quiet and noise level is less than 28dB in 2D mode – much lower than the original cooler on reference design. You feel the quietness when viewing photos, browsing webs and checking your email.

New Design, New Experiences
PCI-e 3.0 Support
Armed with the latest PCI-e 3.0 bus design maximizes performance by delivering double bandwidth per lane of PCI-e 2.x. Paired the card with the latest platforms and get the ultimate performance!

More Graphics, Less Power
The new architecture of the card gets more usable processing power for your money, enabling better frame rates in the latest games at high resolutions. In addition, with AMD PowerPlay & AMD PowerTune technologies, you can optimize the balance between performance and power consumption of your system by adjusting the engine clock during runtime of the card. Manage the power and keep your wallet loaded!

Specs:
Product Code: H777F1G2M
EAN Code: 4895139006841
Cooler: iCooler
GPU: 7770
Core Clock: 1000 MHz
Memory Clock: 4500 MHz
Memory Size: 1024 MB
Memory Type: GDDR5
Memory Interface: 128 bit
Interface: PCI Express x16 (PCI Express 3.0)
Card Dimension: 21.2 x 12.5 x 4.1 cm (HxWxD)

Price $169.99 (from Amazon at time of review)

Since I reviewed the HIS 7750 not long ago I upgraded my system to an Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Gen 3 motherboard with an Intel Corei7 2600K CPU, the rest of the specs are still the same.

Here’s the card in my system, it fits find with no size issues.

For comparison I grabbed three other Direct X 11 cards I’ve got on hand. From left to right, VisionTek 6670, HIS 7750, HIS 7770 and the Sparkle 465GTX. The 465GTX is the largest card of the bunch as you can see.

Price wise, the Sparkle 465GTX is a more expensive card that the others including the HIS 7770.

The HIS 7770 features what they call an iCooler that’s meant to keep the card cool and yet quiet. No matter what games I played or benchmarks I ran I never really hard the card over the rest of my system and temperatures stayed rather low. The cooler does a great job of keeping things cool and very quiet, something I can appreciate as I like my system to be as quiet as possible.

For testing I played games and ran the regular series of benchmarks as you’d expect.

We’ll start off with an oldie but a goodie, 3DMark06:

I’d say the performance isn’t bad overall for the 7770 using such an old benchmark.

The next test is 3DMark Vantage running of the default Performance setting but I chanced the resolution to 1920×1080.

The chart is ranked by GPU scores as that’s what we’re testing here and as you can see the 7770 actually bests the 465, by a fair margin I’d say.

I did something a bit different with my gaming tests as I wanted to see how the card could handle the games at maximum settings. I ran tests at max settings and then ran tests to see what settings would be playable if they couldn’t handle the maximum settings of the games.

The nest test is 3DMark11, it’s actually all three tests for Entry, Performance and Extreme defaults.

So the 465 pulls ahead in this test, but not by too much really, the 7770 does very well.

So let’s get into actual gaming and start off with Section 8 that runs off of the Unreal 3 engine. The settings for this are all maxed out and the resolution is 1920×1080.

All of the cards can handle Section 8 obviously. The 7770 and the 465 come very close in performance.

The next game I played was Mafia II at a resolution of 1920×1080. I ran two different sets of tests with the settings on max but one set was with Antialiasing on and the other is Antialiasing off.

The first test is with Antialiasing on:

The 6670 doesn’t really work for Mafia II, the other three cards just barely manage frame rates over 30fps, except for the 465 which does well.

The next test is Mafia II with Antialiasing off:

Here the 6670 just hits the 30fps mark, and other easily handle the game by running at over 50fps. I should also note that with AA off the game doesn’t look that much different really, just when you get very close to things is when you notice.

The next game is Just Cause 2 with two tests for this one, but are at 1920×1080 resolution. In the graph you’ll see two sets of results, one labeled Max and one labeled Med or medium. Max is everything on maximum setting while medium is Motion Blur is off, Texture Detail is High, Shadow Quality is Low, Antialiasing is 2x, Anisotropic Filtering is 4X, Water Detail is Low, Objects Detail is Low, Decals are On, Soft Particles are On, High-Res Shadows are Off, SSAO is Off and Point Light Specular is Off. I used the Concrete Jungle test level for all of these.

The 7770 obviously can’t handle maximum settings and the 465 just barely does, the other cards don’t at all. Running the game on the medium settings the 7770 and the 465 do very well, the others not so much.

The next test is two more tests with two more graphs, and it’s Dirt 3.

The first is maximum setting with everything set to High or Ultra where available, the highest settings of the game.

The 7770 and the 465 can handle the highest settings fairly well, over 30fps anyway. The 6670 and the 7750 don’t do too well obviously.

Next up is with the settings on high and no ultra used, same resolution at 1920×1080.

Now we see all of the cards can handle Dirt 3 fairly well, the 7770 actually outperforms the 465 here.

The next test is Aliens vs Predator where I ran two more tests for medium settings and maximum settings to see how the cards handled them.

Here’s a couple screen shots with the settings for you:

Well, AvP is a game that’s hard on video cards and as you can see none of them can handle it with the settings on full. Lowering them a bit does increase performance and it really doesn’t effect how the game looks honestly.

Finally I have two more games for you, both are Batman, one is Arkham Asylum and the other is Arkham City.

First is Arkham Asylum on maximum settings.

All of the cards do well here, no complaints at all.

The next test is using Batman Arkham City, but I’ve got two graphs for you, again I wanted to see how the cards handled the game on maximum settings.

Here’s Arkham City with all of the settings on maximum:

Well it doesn’t look like any of the cards I’ve got can handle it does it? None of them can average over 30fps. The 7770 and the 465 are close though.

I lowered the settings a bit, essentially I turned Direct X 11 Tessellation off and lowered anti-aliasing to High. Changing just those two items netted fairly large performance gains.

The 7770 and the 465 are close, the 7770 did drop slightly below the ‘magic’ 30fps mark though at some points.

I played all of these game with these settings so the tests were benchmarks and real world performance. I think the 7770 does fairly well especially when you consider the cost. The Sparkle GTX 465 sold for close to $60 more than the 7770 at launch. Both  cards have 1gig of ram, the core clock of the 465 is only 607mhz while the core clock on the 7770 is 1ghz like the name suggests. The memory clock of the 465 is 3206mhz while the 7770 is 4500mhz. The big difference is the memory interface, the 465 is running at 256bit while the 7770 is only running at 128bit.

I’m patiently awaiting Ivy Bridge so I can fully utilize the PCIE 3.0 interface so I’m hoping to re-visit these tests again to see how much of a gain I might get or not…

Conclusion:
The HIS 7770 is a unique card in that it really doesn’t have much in the way of competition from Nvidia except for older generations. The HIS 7770 performs very well in most instances and can offer a decent upgrade option for those on a budget.  It’s not all about the budget for the card though, this card runs cool and quiet thanks to the cooler and fan, but it also requires only one external power connection, meaning it’s not a very power hungry card. Chances are if you’ve got an older system you won’t need to upgrade your power supply in order to get these latest generation video card. It truly is just a video card upgrade with the HIS 7770, it offers an excellent upgrade path from the last gen or older cards really without having to spend a lot of cash.

The performance is decent, and overall I’m very happy with it. Sure it’s not a top of the line card, but it’s not meant to be either. For what it is it performs well.

Aesthetically I think the card is attractive, I happen to like the plain black sleek look of it. It’s not flashy and it’s not very big in length so it should have no problem fitting into most cases.

Pros:
+Decent performance overall
+Runs cool and quiet
+Lower power consumption
+Only one PCIE power connection needed
+Inexpensive
+Several video output options

Cons:
-Can’t quote outperform older gen cards in some instances

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

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Review of HIS Radeon HD 7770 iCooler 1GB Ghz Edition PCI-E Video Card is a post from: Testfreaks | The Blog