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Techgage reviews the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66 GHz quadcore processor which comes with 12 MB cache and is build in 45nm. Techgage writes in the final thoughts:

As we expected, the Q9450 is a fantastic processor all-around. It offers a nice clock speed, improved characteristics over the previous 65nm Quad-Cores and is priced right.

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As it stands, it’s a great offering for the price, especially considering that it’s far less expensive than the QX9650, but is only 340MHz slower. That’s even without taking overclocking into consideration.

Read the full review of the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 CPU at Techgage.

Bjorn3d reviews the XFX GeForce 9600GT XXX graphics card which comes factory overclocked. The final rating for this card is 9/10. Here’s a part of the final words:

There are two ways to look at performance; Absolute performance, which places this card in the middle of the pack under the 8800GT and above the HD 3870. And Performance value, which takes into account the price you pay for this level or performance. This is where this card excels. For the MSRP of this card you just can’t get better performance.

Read the full review of the XFX 9600GT XXX at Bjorn3d

Pro-Clockers reviews the Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS4 Socket 775 motherboard and gives it the ‘Must Have’-Award, writing in the conclusion:

So, overall the GA-EX38-DS4 performed pretty damn well in our test lab, coming away with a great overclock, which while not the highest we have seen in terms of FSB, is definitely one of our highest performance level overclocks ever. With the ability to use two quick ATI graphics cards in Crossfire, or two 3870X2s in CrossfireX, this motherboard would be an outstanding choice for a high performance gaming rig.

Read the full review of the Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS4 motherboard at Pro-Clockers

Techgage reviews the ASUS EN9600GT TOP edition graphics card which comes already overclocked by the manufacturer.  What Techgage likes most is the performance and the overclocking ability of this card. Here is an excerpt of the final thoughts:

The ASUS EN9600GT retails for an average of $180, while the TOP version will probably be priced at $20 higher. At $200, it’s hard to out-right recommend this card, because the lesser-expensive 8800 GT models, which perform around >10% better, cost only $10 - $20 more. Some 8800 GT’s are retailing for exactly $200 at many e-tailers, so it will pay to shop around.

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It goes without saying that the 9600 GT is a fantastic GPU and ASUS improves on it with their TOP version. For those who want a great overclock out of the box without having to get their hands dirty, you can’t go wrong here. Sadly, no game is included with many lower-priced ASUS cards, but the addition of an HDMI adapter may sweeten the deal for some.

Read the full review of the ASUS EN9600GT TOP graphics card at Techgage.

Overclockersclub reviews the PowerColor HD 3450 entry-level graphics card and writes in the conclusion:

The HD3450 is designed as a next generation card supporting all of the newest techlologies and that it does well. This card is not designed for the gaming market and you will not be playing games at those ultra high graphics, but it is great for movie playback and running Vista’s features. The HD3450 has a low profile design which makes it ideal for home theater PCs, but keep in mind the heatsink is big and will take up part of the expansion slot below it, keeping you from placing a card in it. The upside to the size of the heatsink is that it is a passive solution, something that makes the most sense for use in an HTPC case.

I was able to overclock the card to its limits reaching 641MHz on the GPU from 600MHz and 495MHz on the memory from 400MHz. That is a substantial overclock, which added to its performance but also generated quite a bit more heat. If you are looking for a really cost effective video card to a workstation or home theater PC, I would highly recomend the HD3450, but if gaming is your style, stay away and save your money for a more advanced card because you will be disappointed. The things the HD3450 is designed to do, it does well. It reduced the load on the CPU by 9% when compared to the integrated graphics solution, this shows the strength of the onboard decoding capabilities. It worked well with the IGP while in Crossfire mode to increase graphics performance and above all it provided a clear crisp picture, all at a modest price.

Read the full review of the PowerColor HD 3450 graphics card at Overclockersclub