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Hi $username,

 

We’ve been pulling hardware apart from a decade and, over the past 6 months, we’ve had the opportunity of reviewing a ton of some products – some of which proved to be very special.

Here’s a summary of some of the highlights that we think you should consider for your next build. The products span several budget levels, from the highly competitive Radeon HD 4770 to Enermax’s awe-inspiring 950w PSU. Whatever your budget, let these review winners form the core of your next build/upgrade and you won’t be disappointed.

 

If you’re looking for a way to give your PC or Notebook a noticeable increase in performance, then the OCZ Vertex range of Solid State Disks should be top of your list. In our recent review we pitched the Vertex against some of the fastest mechanical Hard Disks available and it trounced them all with amazing read/write performance along with silent and cool operation. Now available from YOYOTech for £279. Remember, if you’re just looking to boost boot times !), then consider the 30GB Vertex which weighs in at just £123. Even 30GB will allow you to lock down your core installation as a fixed image – to give your machine that ‘forever young’ look/feel.

 

Thinking of jumping on the Core i7 bandwagon this summer? If so, the Gigabyte EX58-UDR3 motherboard is an absolute must-have. Representing amazing value for money along with all the features you’d expect from a high-end motherboard, the EX58-UD3R performed toe-to-toe with motherboards costing twice as much while also supporting SLI and Crossfire as standard. Purchased alone, the EX58-UDR3 is now £157, but it also forms the backbone of several bundle deals where you can save more, like this.

 

While Intel’s Core i7 range has blown the top off the ‘high-end performance CPU market’, the effect of Core i7 has been felt all through the mid-range as well. Chips like the Q9650, which launched around £370, are now available for less than £270. Building a rig with that CPU needs an excellent mainboard – and they don’t come much better than the Asus P5Q Deluxe at £129.99. When it launched, this board picked up both Overclock3D.net’s Recommended and Performance awards.

 

No longer do you need to put up with a slideshow when trying to play your favourite games on a sub-£100 graphics card. Sapphire’s ATI-Based HD 4770 graphics card is a budget beauty that plays all of the latest games at decent resolutions while still giving you change from a pair of reddies. Furthermore, if you’re after some serious performance, then placing two in Crossfire really sends the FPS off the chart. YOYOTech’s special ‘newsletter only’ price on these cards is just £79.99.

Looking for blistering power under the bonnet? Then Overclock3D.net’s Gamer’s Choice at the high-end is the Toxic version of Sapphire’s 4890 at £189 which has excellent overclocking ability thanks to the best cooling solution this side of water.

 

If you’ve been saving for the best of everything in your new PC system then the Corsair Dominator GT 6GB memory kit certainly lives up to its name. These hand-screened modules are represent the pinnacle of memory performance with speeds of 2128MHz being achieved in our recent review and many other users reporting speeds even higher. Did we also mention they look cool too? At £229, you get what you pay for at the high-end.

 

For your Socket-775 builds, then the OCZ Reaper 8500 module is a bit of a legend. Picking up 2GB of this award-winning memory will set you back just £29.99.

 

Choosing a new Power Supply for your PC is probably one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make, and cutting corners is asking for trouble. In our review of the Enermax Revolution85+ we found the PSU to not only have extremely stable voltages, but also industry leading efficiency teamed with good looks and silent operation. Overclock3D’s PSU testing facilities are among the best in the UK, so when we present a PSU with our ‘Editors Choice’ award, you can be assured it’s a good’n! If you’re considering the building of an uber-rig, then we urge you to set aside £189 for this amazing piece of electronic engineering.

Budget builders, who are still looking for quality power supplies, should check out Overclock3D’s Value-For-Money award winning OCZ ModXstream Pro 500 PSU. Weighing in at just £59, it’s great for all single graphic card builds. Those needing more juice for CrossFire and SLi, check out its bigger brothers, the 600 and 700w versions.

 

 

Last item on our agenda?

 

Simple.

 

Corsair’s phenomenal, multi-award-winning Voyager drives now offer 32GB for just £65, so get one today – and save all your photos and video for future generations 🙂

 

 

Editor

Overclock3D.net