This week we've been testing a lot of computing kit, with several Intel and AMD CPU and APUs passing through our testing lab.
We've also been very busy reviewing Sony's impressive new gaming handheld, the PS Vita. Check in with TechRadar to read our full Vita review very soon.
But in the meantime, let's recap what we've been up to for the past seven days!
With the Sony Cyber-Shot HX9V boasting an asking price of £269 in the UK and $329.99 in the US, it falls between the likes of a Canon PowerShot S100 and a regular point and shoot compact such as the Nikon Coolpix S6200 in cost.
Sony has packed a lot into this high-performance travel zoom that poses very serious competition for the likes of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ20, Fuji FinePix F600 EXR, plus a host of rival compact cameras that similarly incorporate a broad focal range with built-in GPS and pocket sized proportions. Though not 100% perfect in each and every regard, the Sony Cyber-Shot HX9V nonetheless comes very close in most.
The Intel Core i7 3820 performs at around the same sort of levels as the top-end standard Sandy Bridge CPUs. And we have to say, that's a bit of a disappointment. This is supposed to be the serious enthusiast processors for Intel's desktop faithful, but the more mainstream, soon-to-be-replaced Sandy Bridge setup is just as good at the quad-core level.
The fact that Intel has put the chip out for the same price as the top-end Sandy Bridge i7 2700K is impressive, and thoroughly welcome. It's a decent chip, offering the extra bandwidth of the Sandy Bridge E platform for straight Sandy Bridge prices. But the vast majority of us don't need that bandwidth.
There are two mice in Corsair's fledgling range – the M90 caters for the MMO gamer's needs, and as such sports fifteen programmable buttons. This M60 sets its sights square and true on the first-person shooter afficionado, for whom split seconds and DPI figures are everything.
With that said, even the grouchiest CS:S gamer will be happy with the Corsair Vengeance M60's performance. Primarily, you want a comfortable mouse that doesn't have a ton of buttons you'll keep accidentally pressing at a fair price, and Corsair's rodent ticks all those boxes with confidence. The adjustable DPI and sniper button are useful additions in a layout that otherwise shows restraint, and it feels like it could survive a nuclear blast.
AMD A8-3970K Black Edition APU review
While its flagship FX processors are failing to shine it does seem a little on unfair on AMD that at the other end of the market it has a chip which really ought be cleaning up. Its Llano Fusion APUs, which combine a multi-core CPU and a Radeon graphics part on one die, are actually rather good.
They may be based on an older processor architecture, but quad core examples like this A8-3870 hold their own against Intel's similarly priced dual core Core i3s in CPU benchmarks. When it comes to 3D tasks like gaming, the on board HD6550D is simply in a different league to Intel's laggardly HD Graphics 3000 cores.
Devolo dLAN 500 AVtriple+ review
The Devolo dLAN 500 AVtriple+ comes at a high price, at over £100, so is certainly at the higher end of the powerline adaptor market in terms of cost. But if you're after a speedy network across your home and have a few devices that need to be connected, then it's going to be money well spent.
This week's other reviews:
Cameras
Hands on: Samsung WB150F review
General networking
Nextivity Cel-Fi RS2 3G review
Hard disk drives
Zalman SSD-F1 Series 240GB review
LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series 240GB SSD review
Headphones
Urbanista London Headphones review
Input devices
StarTech 2 Port USB VGA KVM Switch with File Transfer and PIP review
Keyboards
Corsair Vengeance K60 gaming keyboard review
Lenses
Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM review
Media streaming devices
Memory cards
Samsung 16GB SDHC Plus Class 10 review
SteelSeries Kinzu V2 Pro Edition review
Mobile phone accessories
Mobile phones
Network adaptors
Western Digital WD Livewire review
Scanners
Canon imageFORMULA P-215 review
Software
Hands on: iBooks Author review review
Speakers
Televisions
Web cams
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