Feature Articles

Top 100 Products of 2007

Nos. 11 - 20


ASUS Blitz Formula Special Edition (Intel P35 Express)
This still is the only board you can find on an Intel P35 chipset that would give you proper CrossFire support on dual x8 links, thanks to ASUS Crosslinx. Apart from excellent performance, it also featured water-cooling support and enhanced memory stability with 2-phase DIMM PWM. A rare engineering marvel, the Blitz Formula Special Edition was perhaps the most advanced, well designed high-performance gaming motherboard ASUS created in 2007.

MSI P6N SLI Platinum (NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI)
Based on classic design elements from the previous MSI nForce series, the P6N SLI Platinum improves upon a winning formula with an updated chipset platform and newer design elements such as heat pipe cooling and all solid capacitors that most boards use these days. However what caught our attention was the board's outstanding layout with a decent smattering of features for a mainstream enthusiast board and last but not least, its excellent performance that matches up with some of the best performance boards around. Priced reasonably too, this is one of the most ideal motherboards for a gamer on a lighter budget requiring leading performance and SLI.

MSI P6N Diamond (NVIDA nForce 680i SLI)
While most vendors had nForce 680i SLI motherboard options before even 2007 started, MSI was very late to the game. Taking the "better late than never" approach, MSI released a gem of board with the P6N Diamond, making it well worth the wait. Brimming with features like quad PCIe x16 interfaces, a hardware RAID controller, Creative's Sound Blaster X-Fi integrated on the board, and of course the chipset's own robust set of features, this is one of the most powerful nForce 680i SLI solutions in the market and it doesn't cost a bomb either.

SanDisk Sansa Connect
The SanDisk Sansa Connect was perhaps the best example of WiFi done right on an MP3 player. Stream music off LAUNCHcast radio, download from your Yahoo! Music Unlimited account, share on Flickr and basically do away with the USB cable as long as there's a wireless hotspot around. The Sansa Connect is an ingenious device that will make it seem unnecessary to even have huge local storage. Who needs to be lugging around 32GB of songs when you can stream it anytime, anywhere.

Matrox TripleHead2Go Digital Edition
Matrox finally upgraded their TripleHead2Go Graphics eXpansion Module to support digital video connectivity, making it one of the must have gadgets of the year if you're an avid gamer or multimedia enthusiast. Span your display up to three screens, TripleHead2Go offers high definition 3840x1200 (dual 1920x1200) or 3840x1024 (triple 1280x1024) output heaven.

AENEON XTUNE DDR2-1066 ( AXT760UD00-19D)
Qimonda's AENEON XTUNE DDR2-1066 memory may not look all too different from other memory in the market, but these are the world's first DDR2 memory modules that are able to run at official JEDEC DDR2 voltages of 1.8V at 1066MHz speeds and CAS 5.0 timings, making them the coolest, most energy efficient enthusiast DDR2 memory around.

Kingston HyperX Ultra Low Latency DDR3-1375 memory (KHX11000D3ULK2)
Kingston was one of the first memory manufacturers to address the high latency issues with DDR3 memory. The Kingston HyperX DDR3-1375 (KHX11000D3ULK2) memory was introduced not only with slightly higher speeds at 1375MHz than the standard DDR3-1333, it was also one of the first to operate with ultra low CAS 5.0 timings. This was a milestone at a time when early DDR3-1333 modules operated at CAS 9.0. And even today, it still ranks very favorably in performance.

OCZ Reaper HPC Edition PC2-8500 2GB Memory Kit (DDR2-1066)
With its special heat-pipe conduit design and heavy duty heat spreaders, the OCZ Reaper HPC Edition does a terrific job keeping heat off the modules while offering great performance. If you're planning on sticking it out with DDR2 memory, the OCZ Reaper HPC represents the best choice for enthusiast DDR2 memory on both counts of performance and pricing.

Cooler Master Cosmos 1000
Cooler Master's new flagship chassis for the year, the Cosmos 1000, is as impressive as its towering height. User friendly to a fault, with thermal and noise reduction features and a handsome, stylish appearance, this enclosure is an excellent addition to the company's product range and will likely end up on many enthusiasts' wish lists.

Antec P190
Targeted at the ultimate enthusiast, the Antec P190 is for that rare breed of user who requires only the best. Hence, this giant enclosure effortlessly supports Extended ATX motherboards, multiple graphics cards, liquid cooling and up to two PSUs. Sound deadening panels and smart fans ensure that all the internal components stay cool and quiet.
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