The Tech Report - PC Hardware Explored

A look at SSD performance in Windows Vista

Our last SSD round-up caused quite a stir for using an older test system with Windows XP. We've now explored SSD performance on more current hardware with Vista x64 SP2, and you might be surprised by the results. Read more...

78 comments —
Last by Freon at 6:29 PM on 07/03/09

Feature articles

The TR Podcast 45: Gaming roundup, Swiss Army knives, and Windows Vista II
June 27, 2009
This week on the TR podcast: we introduce a new sponsor, round up the latest gaming stories, compare Palm's Pre to the iPhone, chat about Windows 7 pricing, and more. Read more...

15 comments —
Last by glynor at 3:37 PM on 06/29/09
TR's summer 2009 system guide
June 25, 2009
Our latest system guide features a Phenom II- and DDR3-powered Econobox, a highly versatile Mini-ITX build (which can take a Core 2 Quad and a PCIe graphics card), and much, much more. Read more...

104 comments —
Last by designerfx at 7:39 AM on 07/02/09
A quick look at Western Digital's latest My Book NAS
June 24, 2009
While enthusiasts may be comfortable rolling their own home file servers, network-attached storage devices make more sense for mainstream users. We take WD's latest My Book NAS for a spin to see what it's like. Read more...

44 comments —
Last by Ron Hirsch at 12:49 PM on 07/02/09
MSI's X-Slim X340 ultraportable notebook
June 23, 2009
The X-Slim X340 is a shiny, black, and thin, with a nifty new Intel Core 2 Solo processor and a modern chipset. One or two steps up from a netbook, it may just be the ultimate in stylish ultraportability--for well under a grand. Read more...

37 comments —
Last by Veerappan at 4:28 PM on 06/25/09
High-end Socket AM3 chipsets under the microscope
June 17, 2009
The Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition makes a compelling case for Socket AM3, particularly now that LGA775 has no real upgrade path. Which chipset should you choose for a high-end build? We've taken the 790FX and nForce 980a SLI for a spin to find out. Read more...

46 comments —
Last by Choke at 5:44 AM on 06/30/09
The TR Podcast 44: Computex compendium, air vs. water, and budget CPU madness
June 14, 2009
Tune in this week to hear about our Computex adventures, air and liquid cooling solutions, and the latest CPUs from our test bench. Read more...

18 comments —
Last by Tamale at 5:35 PM on 06/19/09
Battle of the elements: air vs. water CPU cooler showdown
June 11, 2009
Water cooling is typically complicated and expensive, but you can now buy factory-sealed, all-in-one kits for little more than a high-end air cooler. Join us to see how CoolIT's Domino ALC water cooler stacks up against more traditional air towers from Noctua and Kingwin. Read more...

73 comments —
Last by Tamale at 12:26 PM on 06/21/09
A bevy of new desktop processors arrives
June 9, 2009
AMD and Intel have deluged us with new CPUs. The result? An enormous roundup of 26 different types of processors, including five brand-new ones. We've poked, prodded, tested for performance, measured power efficiency, overclocked, and considered the value propositions for CPUs from $87 to $999. Read more...

135 comments —
Last by blockhead at 8:54 PM on 06/20/09
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