- Gigabyte Gigabyte GA-8S655FX Ultra

MBReview takes Gigabyte's new GA-8S655FX for a spin. This new socket478 intel board utilizes the SiS655FX chipset. Although the chipset doesn't perform as well as one would probably like, it's other unique features and abilities along with an excellent price tag make it a great alternative to the i865PE / i875P solutions currently available.

Only a few weeks ago we took an initial look at the SiS655FX chipset and were quite pleased with what we saw. The SiS655FX chipset offered several new features, mainly dealing with that of the available memory configurations that the i875P and i865PE chipsets do not. Not only can you use different sizes and types of RAM with the 655FX chipset, but you can also retain some form of dual channel operation while doing so, something that is currently impossible with the i875P or i865PE chipsets offered by Intel. The performance of the reference 655FX motherboard held up quite well with that of the Intel D875PBZ, and today we'll be taking a look at our first retail model featuring the 655FX chipset, the Gigabyte GA-8S655FX Ultra. This board packs on all of those features you'd expect to see on a Gigabyte motherboard, but how well does it hold up for performance? How well does the board overclock? Let's take a look and see just what we can find out about the Gigabyte GA-8S655FX Ultra.

- Terratec Aureon 7.1 Space Surround Soundcard

The guys over at Tweaknews have obtained Terratec's latest addition to their line of high-end audio products available today. This is Terratec's first 7.1 soundcard based on VIA's ICEnsemble chipset. It offers excellent sound quality, but at a hefty price. If you classify yourself as an audiophile, this isn't the best card you can buy, but it's not far off either. Well worth a read.

The Aureon series sound cards from Terratec are based off of VIA's ICEnsemble chipset bringing stunning surround sound in both 5.1 and 7.1 format. The card we are taking a look at today is Terratec's first shot at 7.1 technology, coming in the form of The Aureon 7.1 Space. The 7.1 space is the ideal surround solution for a gamer/audiophile who is looking for an upper mid-range soundcard. It doesn't quite compare to the newest SoundBlaster Audigy cards, but it's up there.

- Articles and Reviews from around the Web

- Cubit 3 & Cubit P4 Small Form Factor PC's @ SFFTech
- AOpen AK79D-400 Max @ Hardware Zone
- Chaintech AV-710 7.1 Audio Card @ Short-Media
- TheaterTek HTPC Software @ HTPC News