The first half of the year 2009 is over. Just like predicted, the first six months were quite dramatic: some companies reported massive losses, some ceased to exist. Today we are taking a look on the ten news-stories that you, our readers, considered to be the most interesting and worthy among those we published in the first half of this year.

While one of these models is extremely close to typical Midi-Tower cases, the other one, though similar in size, is dramatically different inside. Thick panels, PSU at the bottom, large front panel fan… Read more in our new review!

We usually assemble high-performance computer systems in tower cases with pretty significant internal volume. However, not all traditions are worth honoring forever. Today we decided to break the common stereotypes and show that a pretty high-performance system with a Core i7 CPU may be put together in a compact micro-ATX form-factor.

Globalfoundries is a new name on the market of contract semiconductor manufacturers. The company is a spin-off from AMD and is a result of execution of the company’s “asset smart” strategies. Today we are speaking to Globalfoundries to find out more about the company and its future plans.

We would like to introduce to you two compact system cases from GMC that are designed to accommodate full-size ATX mainboards and a very interesting system case for an HTPC-system.

This article will talk about a truly unique case with original design that boasts easy access to all system components, excellent cooling at very low noise level and extravagant looks. It has only one, but very serious drawback. Find out more from our review!

In our today’s article we are going to discuss new functions, options and distinguishing features of the new Microsoft operating system. We will compare it side by side with Windows Vista in our functionality and performance investigation.

Some like to review the year ended in an attempt to find certain trends or experience certain events again. But we decided to summarize our expectations for the coming year. In 2009 we seem to be going to bid adieu to Windows XP and get very stylish personal computers, we will see the rise of two polar worlds: ultra-cheap PCs and higher-end multimedia systems and also witness a number of other things that will define the PC world going forward.

Today we are going to discuss three system cases and their modifications from the mainstream price segment from such popular brands as HEC, Gigabyte and Raidmax. Hopefully our article will help you make your choice.

Today we are going to talk about six completely different system cases from Antec: starting with the miniature NSK1380 and finishing with a full-size P182. You should be able to find one that will suit your needs. read our roundup for details.

In our final article dedicated to CeBIT 2008 we take a look at unique “Turbo” notebooks from MSI; check out OCZ’s Neural Impulse Actuator; examine various cooling systems and power supply units along with gear for gamers made by different companies and also inspect graphics cards with voltage increase capability. Traditionally, we’ve got beauties from the booths standing next to hardware beauties in this article.

In this part of our CeBIT coverage we take a look at deluxe memory modules from Corsair that have unprecedented capacity and speed, check out fresh luxurious devices from Asustek Computer, share some information about EVGA’s mainboard strategy, have a loot at portable desktops with Blu-ray disc drives inside and also reveal some information about the future of SSDs and Western Digital’s opinion on the matter.

This time we explore more mainboards aimed at extreme overclockers that have LN2 blocks and liquid-cooling installed, laptops made of bamboo by Asus, high-end gaming notebooks from OCZ/Hypersonic, home theater personal computer by MSI as well as forthcoming cooling systems from Scythe.

In the second part of our CeBIT 2008 coverage we take a look at non-standard mainboards from Asustek and Foxconn, check out graphics cards with built-in voltmodding feature from Gigabyte, examine new memory modules from OCZ Technology, share our thoughts on the destiny of SiS and Via chipset developers and inspect new Asus Eee PC 9”.

This year CeBIT trade-show kicked off a little earlier than usual and it is really cold in Hannover, Germany. But it should not be chilly in large pavilions of Deutsche Messe, where thousands of this season’s hottest IT products are exhibited. We managed to picture the first AMD’s 45nm wafer candidates, Nvidia GeForce 9800 GX2, Freon cooling system from Thermaltake and many other interesting devices and products.

Today we are going to talk about Hiper’s debut in the ATX system case market. The Anubis is undoubtedly stylish, original and efficient in terms of cooling. It is an ideal playground for a technical modder, but still there are a few things that need to be improved. Read more in our review!

It is time we rounded up the results of our Best of 2007 Reader’s Choice poll. 13 categories, over 30,000 people participated. Let’s find out now who the winners are!

Futuremark Corporation announced today the release of PCMark Vantage- hardware performance benchmark for PCs running 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows Vista. Our today’s article will be devoted to the peculiarities of the new benchmarking suite, installation and usage techniques as well as the results of three platforms on AMD and Intel processors tested in it.

Today we are going to talk about mobility. Mobile Penryn, Montevina platform, Silverthorne and more WiMAX (Echo Peak solution). Also we will touch upon the innovative features of the upcoming mobile platforms that will help increase battery life and lower the power without sacrificing the performance. Read more in our report from the IDF Mobility keynote!

IDF 2007 in San Francisco started this morning. The members of the press have been crowding in front of the keynote hall well over half an hour in advance, trying the get the best spots: the presentation promised to be very interesting: Penryn, Nehalem, the first working 32nm wafer, innovations in ultra mobility and power efficiency as well as breakthroughs in WiMAX technology. Read more in our coverage!