Designed for professional music production from the ground up, Cubase 4 comes with a brand-new
VST3 plug-in set and four new software instruments.
Cubase 4 features the revolutionary SoundFrame, which is a powerful combination of Track Presets,
Instrument Tracks, and MediaBay database, to help organise all your sounds from every instrument -
both software VSTi and hardware.

Cubase 4 New instruments include:

* HALION ONE: Yamaha MOTIF-powered sample-based instrument based on Steinberg’s renowned HALion 3.
Features over 600 instruments/sounds and 58 drum kits. Includes 8 realtime ‘quick control’ parameters
and an efficiency slider to provide control over CPU load.
* PROLOGUE: Virtual analog synthesizer with hybrid analog and digital waveforms. Features three
oscillators, a multi-mode variable resonance filer, four ADSR envelope generators, two LFOs and a
powerful modulation matrix. On-board effects include Distortion, Delay, Phaser, Flanger, and Chorus.
* SPECTOR: Based on two extremely colourful and versatile spectrum filters (developed from the
Spectrum page of Steinberg’s D’cota VSTi), Spector includes four envelope generators, two LFO’s,
powerful modulation matrix and on-board effects.
* MYSTIC: Mystic’s synthesis is based on three parallel comb filters with feedback. Includes four
ADSR envelope generators, two LFOs, powerful modulation matrix and on-board effects (Distortion, Delay,
Phaser, Flanger, Chorus).

Cubase 4 new features include:

* SoundFrame – Universal Sound Manager
* Control Room
* 33 All-New VST3 Audio Effects Plug-ins
* Four New Virtual Instruments
* Major Score Editor Enhancements
* MediaBay
* Instrument Tracks
* Track Presets
* User Interface Redesign
* Drag & Drop for Insert FX
* Mac PPC/Intel - Universal Binary
* Advanced AudioWarp Realtime Transpose
* New Trim Tool
* User-configurable Track Inspector
* New state-of-the-art Channel EQ
* User-configurable Channel Strip
* Intuitive Audio + MIDI Hardware Setup
* MP3 Surround
* MPEX 3 – High-quality audio time-stretching and pitch-shifting
* Complete printed “Getting Started” and “Operation” manuals
* New tutorial manual including video tutorials

Cubase 4 System Requirements:

* Macintosh: Power Mac G4 1 GHz or Core Solo 1.5 GHz, 512 MB RAM, OS X Version
10.4, Display Resolution 1024 x 768 pixels, CoreAudio compatible audio hardware DVD-ROM drive,
USB component port for copy protection key, Internet access required for license activation

* Windows: Pentium / Athlon 1.4 GHz, 512 MB RAM, Windows XP Home and XP Professional,
Display Resolution 1024 x 768 pixels, Windows DirectX compatible audio hardware; ASIO compatible
audio hardware recommended for low latency performance, DVD-ROM drive, USB component port for
copy protection key, Internet access required for license activation

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In Spaceballs, they called it "Ludicrous Speed." Overdrive PC calls it "Hyperclocking."
However you say it, the Torque SLI is fast. Not satisfied with just dual graphics cards
or a top-of-the-line Athlon FX-57 (it has both), the Torque SLI also incorporates the
virtual nitro boost of overclocked processor, memory, and graphics cards, resulting in some
of the fastest benchmark scores we've seen. At $4,968 (as of August 2005), sans monitor and
speakers, this system also is the most expensive of the recent high-end PCs we've reviewed.
But if you absolutely must have the fastest PC on the block, the Torque SLI will give you bragging rights.
Unlike more stylized competitors, such as the Alienware Aurora 7500, Overdrive houses the Torque SLI
in a simple, clean-lined Lian-Li PC-6070 midtower case--black on our review unit but also available
in silver or with a custom paint job. A pair of blue LED-backlit, 120mm cooling fans on the left side
of the case is the only visual indication that this isn't your average PC.
The clean-cut image dissolves once you remove the two thumbscrews to crack open the case.
Inside, the side panels are coated with a foam-rubber sound-damping material. The Asus A8N-SLI
Premium motherboard, the hard drives, and even the expansion cards are fitted with stainless steel
screws and rubber washers. Cables are carefully routed and clipped to maximize airflow, making for a
very neat appearance. Quiet fans also help reduce noise output. Despite state-of-the-art hardware
that runs at beyond-rated speeds, the Torque SLI's fans stayed so quiet during our testing that we
could hear the hard drive heads moving. There's even a small flashlight clipped to the drive cage;
if Overdrive PC had included a screwdriver, it would truly have thought of everything.

Our test system was equipped with a pair of 256MB XFX GeForce 7800 GTX graphics cards and a
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card. This combination doesn't leave much room for
internal expansion; only a single PCI slot and a couple of memory slots remain open. For external
expansion, there's a pair of USB 2.0 ports on the front of the case, and four more on the back.
A pair of FireWire ports reside on the back of the Torque SLI, one of which is on the Audigy 2
ZS card.

Our test configuration came loaded with storage devices: a dual-layer DVD burner and a DVD-ROM
drive; a removable 200GB hard drive; and a pair of 74GB, 10,000rpm hard drives configured in a
RAID 0 array. Also onboard was a floppy drive with a built-in media card reader. On top of all of
this, there's a pair of open 3.5-inch internal bays, as well as an open 5.25-inch bay. (Two more open
3.5-inch bays surround the RAID array, but you'd probably want to leave them open because of
heat considerations.)

If you've ever dabbled with overclocking, you know that extra performance sometimes comes at
the cost of system stability. Not so with the Torque SLI, which remained rock stable even when
running CNET's extensive game tests and benchmarks on a hot summer day. Overdrive PC calls its
overclocking technique Hyperclocking, and the results are impressive. The AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 CPU,
rated at 2.8GHz, runs at 3GHz; the dual GeForce 7800 GTX GPUs are bumped from 430MHz to 505MHz,
with memory speeds notched up from 1.2GHz to 1.39GHz; and the 1GB of the system's DDR SDRAM runs
at 500MHz, up from 400MHz. Overdrive PC also optimizes BIOS and Windows settings for maximum performance.

All of this Hyperclocking pays off with gaming performance that stomps the nearest competitors.
Running Half-Life 2 at extremely demanding settings--1,600x1,200 resolution with 4X antialiasing
and 8X anisotropic filtering--the Torque SLI managed a whopping 120 frames per second (fps).
The next closest competitor, the Velocity Micro Gamer's Edge DualX, was left in the dust at 97fps.
Doom 3 scores were similarly impressive, with the Torque SLI benchmarking 105fps at 1,600x1,200,
compared to the Velocity Micro's 96.1fps. The Torque SLI blazed through productivity applications
as well, with a SysMark 2004 score of 255, the fastest of its group. In fact, the only benchmark
test where the Torque SLI came up short was with SysMark 2004's Internet content creation, where
it was trounced by the dual-core Athlon 64 X2-equipped Alienware Aurora 7500. PCs with dual-core
processors may hold a speed advantage over the Torque SLI in heavy multitasking, but not in single
applications or gaming.

The Torque SLI doesn't ship with much software by default; you get Norton AntiVirus 2005, Nero Express
for disc burning, the free OpenOffice productivity suite, and an assortment of benchmarking tools and
utilities, though you can add other software titles, including games and commercial office suites,
at the time of purchase. The Torque SLI's clean desktop and carefully categorized Start menu are
testament to its careful fine-tuning. Our test system didn't ship with a monitor or speakers, though
a variety of options are available from Overdrive. However, we did get Logitech's Cordless Desktop
LX 700 mouse and keyboard set.

Overdrive PC backs the Torque SLI with a one-year parts-and-labor warranty, which includes toll-free
tech support, available weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, and return shipping on repairs. The optional
Platinum warranty is available in one-, two-, or three-year lengths (add $100 per year), and we
highly recommend it as it covers all associated shipping costs to and from Overdrive PC for repairs.
One year of warranty coverage has emerged as the industry standard, but given the system's $5,000
price tag, we think Platinum-level coverage should be the default. Overdrive PC's Web site features a
tech-support e-mail address in addition to a well-organized list of manufacturer links for component
documentation and drivers. The PC itself includes recovery CDs and the printed user manuals from several
of the PC's components, but no overall setup guide. Instead, Overdrive prefers a more personal approach:
a company rep will call when you receive your system to walk you through the setup procedure.