Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB Vapor-X Video Card Review

Introduction

It's been a bit of an AMD love fest lately when it's come to VGA with a lot of HD 6000 series making their way through the doors. It's not all that uncommon, though, as we tend to see a few months after launch companies start to release their different variations of the models that we begin to know and love.

Some choose to overclock, others choose to throw a new cooler on it, while some just go all out and do both. Today we're checking out the Vapor-X version of the HD 6870 which is a series we've grown fond of over the years thanks to the superior cooling it's offered over reference cooled cards.

With the HD 6000 series running a little warmer than people previously had hoped, it seems like the perfect candidate for a new cooler. So what kind of performance do we get from the card and does the cooler bring with it lower temperature, lower noise, or even both?

Well, before we find that out, let's check out the package, the card and then the specifications of the card in hand.

The Package

Cable wise we've got a pretty impressive array included. Apart from all the normal stuff we've also got a HDMI cable and mini-DP to DP connector. One of the better AMD card bundles we've seen when it comes to cables.

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Western Digital WD TV Live Hub Review

I've always been a bit of a fan of the Western Digital media boxes, but I never had a chance to actually use one in hand. The specifications always looked good and the device on a whole looked sleek.

Sitting at the top of the WD TV line-up is the Live Hub and that's the one we're looking at today. Checking out the box, you can see the device and some of the main features. One of the bigger features is the 1TB hard drive that's embedded into the WD TV Live Hub.

On the front of the box we can also see some of the other main features which include support with Blockbuster, Netflix, Pandora, Facebook and YouTube. Unfortunately not all these features are available outside of the US, but the ones that are like YouTube and Facebook work great. We'll get into all that a little later, though.

Inside the box there's not a lot going on; we've got the device itself, power cable, manual along with a remote and some batteries for it. There are no video or audio cables which is something worth noting. It's hardly a deal breaker, though.

Looking at the actual device, it's very sleek and while it's a little thinner than other devices we've seen, it's a little wider. You shouldn't have any problem finding a nice spot for it, though, and that's the most important thing.

The device is fairly simple looking and there's not a whole lot going on with the front having a lit up WD logo along with a power button and USB port. Both sides don't have anything while the back has all our connectivity, which is pretty strong.

Starting from the left, we've got the port for our power connector; continuing across, we've got an Optical port, HDMI, second USB port, gigabit Ethernet, composite ports followed by component ports. Really, everything you could possibly need from older analogue connections to more common digital ones is here.

Instead of plugging the device straight into the TV, we opted to hook it into our AMP via HDMI, which means we could make use of our surround sound setup. This makes for a really clean setup as you only have a single power cable running out the back and the HDMI cable doing both video and audio. Saying that, though, you will probably also have a network cable hanging out the back.

Turning the device on, it detects the HDMI connection and shows up straight away. You can go through and set everything up which takes absolutely no time. If you're also making use of the built in network port, you can setup DHCP or manually set your IP address.

Navigating the menu is very easy and it's here I really noticed the awesome quality of the remote control. It's so often we see with these media devices a really cheap feeling and low quality remote, but this isn't the case with the WD TV Live Hub which feels fantastic with nice squishy buttons and a great range and response.

In the menu your three main options are video, music and photos when it comes to standard playback that you would expect. File extension support is just crazy with video supporting AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4), MPG/MPEG, VOB, MKV (h.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1), TS/TP/M2T (MPEG1/2/4, AVC, VC-1), MP4/MOV (MPEG4, h.264), M2TS, WMV9, audio supporting, MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital, DTS and photo supporting JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG.

Also supported is playlist formats, PLS, M3U, WPL and subtitle formats, SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB, SMI, or as I like to put it, everything. Really, there shouldn't be a format that you have which isn't supported by the WD TV Live Hub, and that's something that makes it so appealing.

Video playback is fantastic with support up to 1920 x 1080 on the high definition formats and multi-channel audio which make for an unreal viewing experience.

Playback is smooth over the gigabit network thanks to the large amount of bandwidth, but even when just running at 100Mbps playback on the high definition formats, it was also very good.

Other menu options include files which just list what's on the device along with setup and services. Setup is fairly self-explanatory and in there you can adjust the settings to video, audio and photo, as well as the appearance of the menu via themes. You can also do things like setup the time zone, auto play, auto syncing the front lighting and a whole bunch of other stuff.

The services tab offers us support to all those other features that are included. Netflix, Blockbuster and Pandora will all require you to have an account and be in the US. Fortunately this isn't the same for a lot of the other services. YouTube gives you the ability to search and if you have an account you're able to sign in and do the normal things.

Flickr is the same and you can take advantage of the site without needing to log in. Live365 is a radio streaming site that lets you stream radio. You have a limited amount of free time for the VIP section, but if you want to continue to make use of it you'll have to sign up via the Live365 website, otherwise you can enjoy the free stations. Saying that, enjoy might be a bit of a stretch with there only being a limited amount of free stations and the range being quite poor.

Also in this section we've got Mediafly which is a little like YouTube; it's got some pretty cool stuff on it and it's really easy to navigate. Facebook lets you do all the normal stuff like post comments and like updates. You can also see what's happening with your friends. It's not bad, but with Facebook on just about every mobile phone these days you probably won't find yourself in here too much.

Finally, we've got AccuWeather which is just a weather channel and lets you know what's happening in the forecast in a designated area. It's really quite cool with current temperature on offer along with Satellite Image and 7 day forecast. It's quick to get to and once setup to your area will display the current temperature on every page.

What I really liked about the WD TV Live Hub was in the event you didn't have the device hooked up to a network and you only cared about the playable ability of video, audio and photos. You're able to plug in an external hard drive and copy from that or play from it directly.

With a WD Passport which is really quite cheap these days and requires no external power, you're able to enjoy the device without the need to have it plugged into your network. Sure, to make full use of all the features, using the network port is recommended, but if you just wanted to throw it in your bedroom or your lounge didn't have easy network access, this ability is really handy.

In a time where we're seeing really cheap little PCs that can handle all these formats, you have to wonder how a device like this fairs. Well, it fairs extremely well and that's for a few reasons. For starters, this is cheaper than any media PC you should find at only $179.99.

Another big pro is the simple interface; anyone can use it; anyone can set this device up; there's really nothing to it. The simplicity behind it is what makes it so great. Apart from maybe the inclusion of a HDMI cable and possibly wireless support, there's very little to pick at when it comes to the WD TV Live Hub.

All in all, this is just a great product for anyone who is looking for something that will stream just about every format. The extras, though, like services, HDMI, great quality remote control and built in 1TB hard drive make the product really stand out and go straight to the top of the list. For under $200, you really can't go wrong with the WD TV Live Hub.

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Lian Li PC-V2120 Full Tower Case Review

Much like Ferrari and Lamborghini in the automotive world, Lian Li is considered by many to be the flagship computer chassis manufacturer. Although they have been in business since 1983, it wasn't until around 2000 that they began turning heads with their all-aluminum PC-60 series enclosures. This happened to be the first enthusiast case I ever reviewed, and at the time, it was light years ahead of anything else on the market.

A decade later, Lian Li is still making great cases but they aren't the only premium enclosure vendor on the block. With stiff competition from the likes of Silverstone, Corsair, NZXT and several others, does Lian Li still have what it takes to remain relevant in the ever-changing PC market?

Today we'll be looking at the Lian Li PC-V2120A, a luxury full tower chassis that supports most standard motherboard form factors and also EVGA's exotic HPTX format. In a nutshell, the PC-V2120 sports a tool-less aluminum design supporting up to ten 3.5-inch and two 2.5-inch HDDs, 11 expansion cards and five fans.

The PC-V2120 is available in three different color schemes: black with a silver interior, silver with a matching interior and black with a black interior. We were sent the all-silver version for evaluation which will set you back a handsome $399. The black aluminum models go for a larger premium at $429 for the black exterior, and $499 for the black on black chassis.

Lian Li ships the chassis with a detailed photo installation guide and more screws than you could ever use. Other extras include a small screw container, mounting bracket for SSI CEB/EEB motherboard, PCI card holders, a PCI bracket, a USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 converter, multiple rubber grommets for HDD installations, zip ties, a clamp for cable management and a 3.5" to 2.5" x 2 drive bay converter.

Lian Li PC-V2120 External Design

Where many cases try to impress with flashy design elements like windows and extreme angles, the PC-V2120 achieves the same effect with its simplicity, brushed aluminum panels and massive size.

The front door is made of textured aluminum and features a vertical column pattern with two tiny holes near the top right that let the power and HDD activity lights shine through. The lockable door opens to the left revealing a brushed aluminum front bezel with five 5.25" drive bays and a large vented area that hides two 140mm intake fans. A fan controller sits above the top drive bay while the power and reset buttons are below the bottom drive bay. The back of the door is lined with noise dampening acoustic foam.

A closer look at the door indicates that you can move the hinges to the other side and have the door open to the right. You can also completely remove the door if you grow tired of opening it every time you power on your PC. The brushed aluminum on the two side panels looks really classy. The inside of each panel is lined with the same noise dampening acoustic foam that we found on the inside of the front door.

The same brushed aluminum carries over to the top of the chassis. Here we find cutouts for three 120mm fans complete with matching brushed aluminum covers. This is the first time I've seen a manufacturer take this approach to fan expansion ports and I must say, it's one of my favorite features of the case.

Near the front of the case is a pop-up door with the Lian Li nameplate affixed to it. Under the door is an eSATA port, four USB 3.0 ports and mic / headphone jacks.

On the bottom of the chassis are two sets of metal caster wheels. These wheels are lined with black rubber grips and allow the case to roll forward and backwards only. The front wheel assembly features a manual brake that prevents the case from rolling when engaged. You can use the handle under the front of the chassis to engage/disengage the brake.

Near the back is a removable air filter, which is positioned under the power supply and keeps the PSU's intake fan free of contaminants. The back of the chassis reveals a whopping 11 expansion slots. The power supply sits at the bottom of the case and features a removable bracket.

A 120mm exhaust fan equipped with wire grills removes heat from around the CPU area. Lian Li has included two cutouts with rubber grommets for water-cooling tubing. The entire motherboard tray assembly is also removable via seven thumbscrews.

Keeping with the security measures from the front of the case, there are also locking slots for the motherboard tray and left side panel.

To access the interior of the PC-V2120, you must undo a single thumbscrew for the left side panel and pull back on the tab assembly, then slide the panel out and up to remove it.

While the chassis may look minimalistic on the outside, it more than makes up for those "shortcomings" internally. Here we find an elaborate series of modular components with room for up to 13 3.5" drives (10 + 3 using 5.25" bay converters). Lian Li includes a VGA card pillar to provide additional support for large graphics cards.

As mentioned earlier, the power supply mounts in the bottom of the chassis with a removable bracket. The PSU sits on raised rails lined with rubber padding to prevent scratching and reduce vibrations. The vents below the PSU supply fresh air to keep it running cool. In front of the power supply is a removable 3-bay hard drive cage. The cage is held in place with two thumbscrews and features pre-installed rubber washers to reduce vibration from spinning drives.

The horizontal divider above the power supply area has three cutouts to route cables through. Each cutout is lined with a hard plastic grommet. There are also eight screw holes that let you mount up to two 2.5" SSD drives with the included mounting hardware.

Near the front of the chassis is a large removable hard drive cage that can hold up to seven 3.5" drives using a tool-less mechanism. Alternately, you can opt to install two 2.5" drives here using the pre-installed SSD mounting brackets in the middle of the cage.

In front of the hard drive cage are two 140mm intake fans and an additional 140mm fan on the opposite side of the cage that funnels warm air from the drives to the rear of the chassis. All three of these fans are tool-less and can be removed easily for cleaning purposes. The two intake fans use air filters to keep dust and debris away from your hardware.

There are five internal 5.25" bays. The top two bays are designated for optical drives and use a tool-less mounting system. By default, the bottom three bays are occupied by yet another hard drive cage that holds up to three 3.5" drives. Using the included 3.5" to 2.5" converter, you can optionally install two 2.5" SSDs here instead. Of course, you can remove the cage completely if you don't plan to add extra drives. A 120mm fan keeps these drives cool.

The motherboard tray is huge, supporting EATX / ATX / M-ATX / HPTX. HPTX is a new form factor from EVGA designed specifically for their high-end dual Xeon SR-2 motherboard. Lian Li's PC-V2120 is one of the very few cases that can hold this massive motherboard. Do note that if you will be using the SR-2, you need to remove the 140mm cooling fan on the side of the hard drive cage for clearance.

There is also a cutout behind the CPU area to aid in installing and removing heatsinks without having to remove the board from the case. Traditionally these cutouts are hit or miss; either it will line up with the CPU backplate on your board, or it won't.

You can see the three 120mm fan ports in the top of the chassis from the inside. I'm not 100% sure on placement, but I assume you could mount a triple 120mm radiator here, given that there are water-cooling holes in the rear of the case.

At the rear of the case are 2 small holes for water-cooling tubes, a 120mm exhaust fan and 11 expansion slots.

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