Samsung Syncmaster 226BW 22″ widescreen
Hardware Overclock Austria :: Monday, February 26, 2007
Hardwareoverclock Austria has reviewed Samsung’s newest TFT Monitor, the Syncmaster 226 BW, a 22″ widescreen. Wide 16:10 aspect ratios let you multitask, with room for more than one application at a time. The extra room also makes working with graphics programs and multiple tool palletes easier. An ultra-fast 2 ms (G to G) response time is perfect for motion graphics editing. And exclusive MagicBright 3, MagicColor and MagicTune technologies give you complete control over outstanding color.
The HD-DVD/Blu-ray Peacemaker: LG’s BH100
Futurelooks :: Monday, February 26, 2007
Who’s already tired of this Blu-ray/HD-DVD format war? Well, LG has the solution for you! Behold the Super Multi Blue Player. We had the priviledge of meeting with the good folks at LG to have a sneak peak at what’s sure to be the first of many solutions to this ridiculous format war.
Sapphire X1650 Pro Ultimate Video Card Review
Driver Heaven :: Monday, February 26, 2007
We recently reviewed the X1650XT, ATI’s best middle-range graphics card solution, intended for people on a tight budget that would still like to enjoy some of the newest games on the market. The X1650XT makes the Pro version of the card somewhat redundant, as its performance is substantially less. This is not the case with Sapphires Ultimate card though, as this card is targeted at users who above all prioritize noiseless operation. This trait is especially important to people looking for a good card for their living room multimedia PC. While it would certainly be nice if the card was capable of playing the newest games, it is far more important how it deals with HD video and how much noise it creates.
Leadtek WinFast PX 7950GT Videocard
Monster Hardware :: Monday, February 26, 2007
“I am sure you have all heard the line “it is not the size that matters it is how you use it”. Well, that statement doesn’t apply when you are talking about videocards. When I finish therapy remind me to tell you, the readers, my adventure trying to fit a GeForce Ti 4600 into a micro tower case. Sorry I am not able to finish the story now but I just recently stopped having nightmares about it. Fortunately you shouldn’t encounter any such problems with any reasonable sized case with the Leadtek WinFast PX 7950GT, as it is quite a bit smaller than the XFX GeForce 6800 GS. Size matters. There, I said it.”
Connect3D X1950 Pro Review
XS Reviews :: Monday, February 26, 2007
“There are a variety of ATI graphics cards, ranging from the very high end x1950XTXs to the more budget range x1600s. However, it is often hard to find a middle ground with such hardware. Usually the cards are too expensive or underpowered; but this is where Connect3D come in. Their x1950 Pro card promises top notch performance with a mid range price tag, can it pull it off? Lets see.”
Altec Lansing FX4021 2.1 Speakers
The TechLounge :: Saturday, February 24, 2007
“The demand for 2.1 speakers such as Altec Lansing’s FX4021 is quite high. Available for as little as $100 this speaker set is very appealing to anyone who wants sound to kick a little harder than when it eeks out of their earbuds. But the question that must be answered is, how much bang do you really get for your buck
Abit’s iDome DS500 and SW510 speakers
The Tech Report :: Saturday, February 24, 2007
WHEN ABIT WAS ACQUIRED last year, the new owners pruned the company’s product line to focus its attention squarely on motherboards. Graphics cards and other ancillary products were cut, but one plucky side project managed to survive. That side project spawned Abit’s new iDome digital speakers and may inspire a revolution in PC audio.
That probably sounds a little melodramatic, but consider this. The iDomes were designed from the ground up with digital input in mind, and Abit has taken great care to ensure that they deliver every bit of the pristine quality of a digital bitstream to your ears. That bitstream—digital audio in its purest form—can be provided by fancy sound cards and “free” integrated motherboard audio alike, setting up the iDomes to challenge not only other speakers on the market, but the very need for a discrete sound card as well.
And so the stage is set. Can the iDomes, when paired with integrated motherboard audio, challenge the output quality of the best PC sound card on the market? Read on to find out
XFX NVIDIA 8800 GTX XXX
Technic 3d :: Saturday, February 24, 2007
“The XFX 8800 GTX XXX arrived Technic3D. The Graphic Card XFX NVIDIA 8800 GTX XXX with 630 MHz Core and 1.000 MHz Memory better than others OC High-End Graphic Cards? Technic3D will see that, with Overclocking, in the following Review.”
OCZ Technology 8800 GTX Video Card Review
OCIA :: Saturday, February 24, 2007
“The OCZ 8800 GTX, like most every manufacturer’s offering, is based on the NVIDIA reference design, so don’t expect anything new or ground breaking here. But there are a few things that do set the OCZ card apart from others. First, the OCZ 8800 GTX is “binned to perfection” — this means that every OCZ card is pre-screened and only the best cards make it to market. In theory, this would point to higher core and memory overclocks and in general, a very stable card.”
Logitech Harmony 880 Remote Review
Extreme OC Tech :: Saturday, February 24, 2007
“The LCD display menu walks you through the first few steps up until you need to install the software. Unlike most universal remotes, the Harmony 880 is actually programmed via your computer (PC or Mac) in a web interface. One thing to note with the web interface is its current incompatibility with FireFox and you may need to temporarily disable security software before the remote can be programmed.”
Gateway FPD2485W 24″ Monitor Review
Digital Trends :: Thursday, February 22, 2007
“The FPD2485W specs are impressive on their own. 1920 x 1200 resolution, 1080p support (with HDCP), 1000:1 contrast ratio, 450 cd/m2 brightness, 6 ms response time, and a built-in, four-port USB 2.0 hub. Keep in mind that most people will only need to know the above specs to make a purchasing decision. These specs match or surpass those of the competition. The contrast resolution is good enough for watching darkly-lit video scenes, giving good color saturation. The 6 ms response time means no ghosting or blurring during fast-paced gaming or video. ”
Razer Barracuda AC-1 Gaming Sound Card
PC Apex :: Thursday, February 22, 2007
“The card itself is a built on a nice black PCB that should look good installed on many motherboards. The Passive EMI shield™ has a nice graphic on it, not that you’ll ever see it once it is installed. But if you do have a windowed case, Razer has a nice little surprise designed to add a little style. The familiar neon green usually associated with Razer, and missing with the HP-1 headset, is well represented here. A small piece of black plexi with green lettering is placed at the top of the card. Behind it is a double row of green LED’s positioned to illuminate the Razer logo. Nice touch.”
Alienware HUB 2.1 Speakers
3dgameman :: Thursday, February 22, 2007
“The Alienware HUB did not reproduce much quality sound at any of the settings. I tried my best with all styles of music, even breaking into the different Music Filters inside the Zune. Nothing really gave me a great tone. I could get a better tone out of a twenty five dollar stereo from the local grocery store. I also need to turn the volume up quite a bit to start to hear the bass. At this point of hearing the bass, it was more of a slight thump rather than a resonating bass tone…”
Catalyst 7.2 Comparison
Technic 3d :: Thursday, February 22, 2007
“ATI-AMD Catalyst 7.2 Comparison on Technic3D. Faster then Catalyst 7.1? See you in the following Catalyst Roundup up to Catalyst 6.9.”
Overclocking the GeForce 8800 GTS
Bjorn 3d :: Thursday, February 22, 2007
Additionally, it is human nature to blame someone else if something goes wrong. This is where I warn you, the reader of this article, that neither I nor Bjorn3d.com recommend that you overclock your video card. This article explains how I conducted these experiments on my own property. Bjorn3d.com and the author of this article will not be responsible for damages or injury resulting from experiments you choose to conduct on your own property. If you read beyond this point, you are accepting responsibility for your own actions and hold Olin Coles and the staff of Bjorn3d.com harmless.
For this project I have selected the FOXCONN NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS as my test subject, which I reviewed here at Bjorn3D back in November 2006. Presently, the 640MB version of the GeForce 8800 GTS is the second-best video card available on the market. Gamers and computer enthusiasts alike have already speculated on how the GTS could be made to perform to the same level as the GeForce 8800 GTX with some tweaking. Unfortunately, this just isn’t possible. What is possible though is taking a great product and making it even better; and do it all for free.
CyberHome 6-Speaker Surround Sound Headphone System Review
Big Bruin :: Thursday, February 22, 2007
The CyberHome 6-Speaker Surround Sound Headphone System offers some what of a mixed bag. They are very affordable, look good, sound great, and are the most comfortable headphones I have ever had the pleasure of wearing. Despite the positive points, the headphones seem to suffer from a lack of quality.
ExtremA, a reference class-A DIY amplifier
Hardware Analysis :: Thursday, February 22, 2007
Most commercial amplifiers offer mediocre performance and distortion figures, the here presented design offers nearly immeasurable distortion levels you’ll be hard pressed to find with any commercial or DIY amplifier.
NOW PLAYING: D-LINK TV
D-Link :: Thursday, February 22, 2007
D-Link, the end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumers and business, today announced the premiere of D-LinkTV?, an Internet video portal designed to better educate and entertain consumers, business customers and resellers on advancements in networking and connectivity solutions
The new world of high definition optical discs and associated
Missing remote :: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The new world of high definition optical discs and associated acronyms
The Problem With Digital Rights Management (DRM)
The TechZone :: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
While a number of analysts have said under their breaths that the best DRM is no DRM, that isn’t going to happen. DRM is big business and it is going to get even bigger. Problem is, it’s splintered. Everyone has a solution. Each is built on their platform with their technology. Every time a DRM/CA solution is introduced it is cracked. The content is shared. Content owners, artists and all the “little people” are screwed !
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2085
Driver heaven :: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
To cope with the ever-increasing details in today’s games the graphics card manufacturers look for all kinds of solutions. The most obvious one is making the cards faster, but such an approach has negative consequences in the shape of overheating. So if you decided to go all out and overclock your card beyond all limits the amount of heat generated would rise as well. Sapphire decided to do just that and follow the old saying “Drastic situations call for drastic measures” to the letter. The end result is an overclocked, water-cooled X1950XTX (which was a fast card to begin with) that every enthusiast will want to own.
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2081
XS Reviews :: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
“A year or two ago Foxconn were the rising stars of the motherboard world. Having shown the enthusiasts that they were here to stay Foxconn moved onto graphics cards and once again have hit hard into the high end market with a wide range of GPUs on offer. Today I have their 8800GTX which has all the speed of the other manufacturers models, but with a packaging and cooler that our older readers would probably describe as “Cosmic”. Read on to find out if its performance is as “Far out” as its packaging.”
ASUS Radeon EAX1950 Pro Video Card in CrossFire Mode
Viper Lair :: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
“The performance of a single EAX1950 Pro makes it a great bang for your buck video card, coming in at about $183 USD for the non crossfire card and $219 for the Crossfire version you are looking at a nice dual card set up for about $400 plus shipping. Sure your not going to see FPS in the triple digits, but your going to save a few hundred dollars and pay your electric bill.”
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro Review
Digital Trends :: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Nearly every aspect of the listening experience exceeded our expectations. Highs, mids, and lows are balanced and clear. Bass is tight, but still has boom without sounding muddy, and highs are bright, but not screeching. Overall, the general tone of the Super.fi 5 Pros was energetic and accurate. The sound stage was satisfactorily wide and distant, without showing separation or the feeling of far-off sounds. The sound wasn’t harsh or warm, but somewhere in between. Spatial cues were somewhat limited, since canalphones in general lack the ability to convey 3D virtualization accurately.
SteelSound 5H v2 Headphones
Modders Inc. :: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
SteelSeries is well known for their gaming headphones, I have seen people rave about the SteelSound 5H, 5H v2, and 5H v2 USB on numerous occasions. After completing the 3H and 4H reviews SteelSeries asked me if I would like to take a look at their 5H v2 gaming headphones. I was absolutely ready to see what their top of the line unit has to offer after hearing how well the lower end units performed.
ATI R600 will NOT launch this quarter
techPowerUp :: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The reason is that their R600 Series is not where they want it to be yet, so they decided to move the launch to be able to deliver a competitive product. Also I am hearing that at the Q2 launch we will see more than just GPU related stuff, so I would guess Physics or GPGPU computing.
AMD 8.34.8 Display Driver
Phoronix :: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
“Last month with the 8.33.6 release we had seen the first signs of Radeon X2000 (R600) product support. The AMD Radeon Xpress 1250 IGP (both Intel and AMD processor models) are supported by today’s driver. Additional work has gone into the 8.34.8 drivers with this release to prepare for the Radeon X2000 launch shortly. More information will be available shortly.”
Razer Barracuda AC-1 Sound Card Review
XYZ Computing :: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
While we all have been waiting to check out Razer’s sound card, they released the Barracuda HP-1 headphones first so we have had a few months to play with them first. This surround sound headset was an appreciable accomplishment for the company, but I felt like it could not really be completely judged until used with the Razer sound card. After all, while they do not have to be used together, they are a matched pair. So my hope is that by using them together we will be able to get the most out of each. It could just be a clever marketing scheme combined with a strange connector though, so we’ll see.
In their product material Razer tells us that the AC-1 uses Razer’s Fidelity system to bring “optimized audio signals directly from the computer game to the gamer, creating the most realistic gaming environment.” The audio card also uses Razer’s Enhanced Sonic Perception and 3D Positional Gaming Audio Engine for better directional sound effects than found on past equipment. Impressed yet? Well, don’t worry, there is a lot more to talk about than a few trademark technologies…
Speed-Link Medusa 5.1 Home Edition (SL-8796) Headset Review
Overclockers Club :: Monday, February 19, 2007
“This review is going to be taking a look at Speed-Link’s top of the line headset, the Medusa 5.1 Home Edition. I was intrigued by the surround sound and the overall popularity of the entire Medusa 5.1 series on computer and gaming forums. Could a headset deliver 5.1 surround? Is it better than a stereo headset? Let’s find out!”
Daisy MP3 Player Assembly
Nippy Chips :: Monday, February 19, 2007
” I can’t thank Phillip Torrone enough for giving NippyChips the chance to review, assemble, and mod the Daisy MP3 player. This is a great little MP3 player and was a blast to put together, and fit into the neat case that I found. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in electronics. The kit makes the whole process simple, and a great weekend project. The Daisy also is open source, so if you are an avid programmer, and have a PIC re-programmer the source is available. What makes this kit so neat is that you have a fully functioning MP3 player when you are done soldering. All you need is to format an SD card, add on some music, and plug the little Daisy into a power source. It will automatically start playing, and you can add buttons for all the functions you need. I can’t count the amount of people that question why I’m carrying a Tyco RC remote controller, and why headphones are plugged into it? When I tell them that I built an MP3 player inside, I get looks of disbelief. They think that I just took an Ipod or something and shoved it inside. Then I take off the back cover of the controller, and show them what’s inside. To see my experience of assembly and case modification read on…*”*
BFG NVIDIA 8800 GTX OC Video Card Review
Technic 3d :: Monday, February 19, 2007
“The BFG NVIDIA 8800 GTX OC arrived Technic3D. The Graphic Card BFG NVIDIA 8800 GTX OC with 600 MHz Core and 1.400 MHz Shader better than others High-End Graphic Cards? Technic3D will see that, with Overclocking, in the following Review.”
MSI NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD Geforce 8800GTX Videocard Review
PC Stats :: Sunday, February 18, 2007
“The MSI Computer NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD is the companies’ flagship nVIDIA-GPU based PCI Express x16 videocard. This massive slab of chips and thermal solution is built around an equally large nVidia ‘G80’ GeForce 8800GTX core. The videocard has a 768MB frame buffer, and supports both DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.0, and 128-bit HDR standards. The Geforce 8880GTX GPU operates at 575MHz, and the 768MB of memory runs at 1800MHz. As you might expect, the NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD is High Definition compatible in every way that counts. The NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD is fully HDCP compliant too.”
Sennheiser RS130 Wireless Headphones
The Tech Lounge :: Sunday, February 18, 2007
“In our previous wireless headphone review we had some interference problems. Enter Sennheiser with their reputation for excellent quality and 50 years of RF audio transmission experience. Will these headphones cure our interference blues? Will they convince us to ditch the wires?”
PixelClean LCD Screen Cleaner Review
Virtual Hideout :: Sunday, February 18, 2007
“Never again will I suffer with a smudged or dusty LCD screen. This kit was both professionally packaged, easy to use and priced affordably. For a retail price of just $19.95 for the deluxe kit, there is absolutely no reason that everyone reading this review on an LCD, or owns a laptop shouldn’t own this product.”
NVIDIA 1.0-9XXX / 2.0-XXXX Details
Phoronix :: Sunday, February 18, 2007
“Since last month’s general availability of Microsoft Windows Vista, NVIDIA has introduced the Forceware 100.XX series. While we have yet to see any major NVIDIA Linux developments in 2007, we have decided to take one final look at this most recent driver series. In this article, we are retesting the 1.0-9626, 1.0-9629, 1.0-9631, and 1.0-9746 Linux display drivers. We have also added the NVIDIA 1.0-9751 display driver to the mix; if you’ve never seen the driver we will tell you in this article where you can get it. We are also shedding the first light on what will likely become the NVIDIA 2.0-XXXX display driver for Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD.”
PowerColor X1550 512MB
Overclockers Online :: Thursday, February 15, 2007
PowerColor has always produced quality video cards at good prices with all the features that the chipset they are based upon offers. The PowerColor X1550 512MB is no different in that regard. Despite being more or an entry level, budget orientated solution, the X1550 512MB comes with dual DVI connectors which is so very important with the popularity of the LCDs and the fact that so many people run dual LCDs now. It is nice to see dual DVI connections instead of a 1 and 1 type setup we might see on other X1550 brands.
HIS X1950 XT 256MB GDDR3 IceQ 3 iTurbo Video Card
Bona Fide Reviews :: Thursday, February 15, 2007
Today we have the HIS’ X1950 XT 256MB iTurbo video card in our lab. This X1950XT is features the popular HIS IceQ 3 cooler and is tagged as one of their “iTurbo” cards meaning it can be overclocked quite easily by using HIS’ overclocking software. When overclocked the X1950XT runs at X1950XTX core speed of 650MHz and a memory speed of 900MHz (1.8GHz effective), a nice little speed boost. This card also has full HD video (1080p) with HDCP support right out of the box. When looking at other higher end video solutions including the X1950XTX and recently released GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB the X1950XT is priced quite competitively.
http://www.technic3d.com/article/pics/443/vorschau_mushkin_XP2-8500_2.jpg
OCIA :: Thursday, February 15, 2007
“This week I get a chance to check out one of NZXT’s latest offerings in the “Classic” series, the Duet. Aptly named for its ability to function in either a mid-tower or desktop orientation, the Duet looks to give users the benefit of a small footprint case without having to sacrifice on hardware due to component size constraints..”
Seven GeForce 8800 series graphics cards compared
The Tech Report :: Thursday, February 15, 2007
NVIDIA’S GEFORCE 8800 SERIES is a jaw-dropping marriage of performance and image quality that has raised the bar for PC graphics substantially. Not since ATI’s Radeon 9700 Pro have we been so impressed by a single graphics card. The G80 GPU is simply a marvel, and if you’re looking to buy a high-end graphics card today, it’s the only chip you want.
Of course, your quest for the best graphics card won’t end there; you also have to choose between GTS and GTX flavors of the GeForce 8800. And you’re still not done, because GeForce 8800 GTS and GTX cards are available from a wide variety of manufacturers, each of which tries to bring something unique to the table, be it through bundled extras, tweaked clock speeds, or exotic cooling.
As daunting as the selection of GeForce 8800 series graphics cards may be, choice is a good thing. To help you wade through the options, we’ve rounded up a collection of GeForce 8800 series cards from BFG Tech, EVGA, Foxconn, MSI, OCZ, PNY, and XFX to see how they stack up. Read on to see which cards rise to the top and which get lost in the reference card shuffle.
GeForce 8900GTX and 8950GX2 Pricing and Information
Tweak Town :: Thursday, February 15, 2007
“News just hit our bench about upcoming information regarding nVidia’s upcoming G80 based graphics cards. We want to first clearly state that we’re not sure if the information is accurate and at best it would just be estimated prices.
Our friends over at OCW seem to be talking to the right people here in Taiwan and have a bunch of information regarding the most expensive GeForce 8950GX2 that will be sold for $599 USD. It is rumored to be a dual GPU solution much like the 7950GX2 and will come with a total of 512MB GDDR-4 memory per GPU.”
OCC Review XFX 7600GT Fatal1ty
Overclockers Club :: Thursday, February 15, 2007
“XFX is breathing new life into their 7600 series of Video cards. XFX and Fatal1ty have teamed up and added some new features and it is called the XFX 7600GT Fatal1ty Professional Series. Unlike the past XFX 7600 GT video cards, this one has passive cooling via a large heat sink and its core clock speed has been raised to 650 MHz. Will this resurrection prove itself as a mid-range contender or are the new changes just a big hype?”
Titan 2.1 Traveling Speakers
Technic 3d :: Thursday, February 15, 2007
“The Titan 2.1 Traveling Speakers for Notebooks arrived Technic3D. “Amp up your notebook!” and the small extent have Power or is the sound distorted? Technic3D will hear that in the following Review.”
MSI 8800GTX SLI
t-break :: Thursday, February 15, 2007
As with all higher-end MSI cards of late, the 7800GTX comes packaged in a standard sized light blue box depicting an angel. Inside the box, you find cables for Composite, component and S-Video as well as a couple of DVI-DSUB connectors. MSI also places two 6-pin PCI-E power connectors as the 8800GTX requires two. While drivers and applications are present, surprisingly, MSI does not bundle any games with the card.
Column: The Day the Music Died
Digital Trends :: Thursday, February 15, 2007
Good music requires an involved listener to appreciate it. Technologically and demographically driven changes in listening habits have driven down the quality and intensity of listening. And good old music industry greed continues to drive talent out of the music business. Celebrate the musicians who have made it, or at least made it onto the Internet, but weep for the ones you’ll never get a chance to hear ”
Nvidia’s GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB graphics card reviewed
The Tech Report :: Tuesday, February 13, 2007
THE TEST RIGS HAVE been churning away in Damage Labs for days now, and your humble narrator is exhausted. The occasion that’s prompted all of this activity? The release of a 320MB version of the GeForce 8800 GTS. As you may know, the GeForce 8800 series first arrived in two flavors, the GTX version with 768MB of onboard memory and the GTS with 640MB. Neither card is what you’d call affordable, so Nvidia has fired up the favorite tool of chipmakers everywhere–the world’s smallest chainsaw–and shaved off half of the GTS’s memory in order to bring the price down. The result is the first DirectX 10-capable graphics card with a price tag of roughly three hundred bucks. ‘taint cheap, but it may be the best value in the GeForce 8800 lineup. We have tested the GTS 320MB against a stack of competitors, as is our custom. Has the world’s smallest chainsaw brought us another winner, or has it cut too deep this time? Let’s take a look.
EVGA e-GeForce GTS 320MB Superclocked Review
NV News :: Tuesday, February 13, 2007
“In this review we examine the performance of the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB against the 512MB GeForce 7900 GTX in order to determine the areas where less video memory has an impact on performance. Armed with the freeware utility program VidMemWatcher, we were able to determine the memory requirements in the games we tested. After the results were tallied we found that under certain conditions, the e-GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB Superclocked graphics card could be a diamond in the rough.”
Biostar V7603GS21 GeForce 7600 GS V-Ranger
techPowerUp :: Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The Biostar V7603GS21 V-Ranger is based on NVIDIA’s GeForce 7600 GS but comes at a higher memory clock. In addition to that Biostar added some changes to the PCB to allow software to change the GPU and memory voltages, which allows much better overclocking of the card. In our testing we could increase the core clock by 63% and the memory clock by 20% which made the card play in a completely different performance league.
PowerColor X1550 512MB Extreme Video Card Review
Overclockers Club :: Tuesday, February 13, 2007
“Nothing too special here. The card is fairly small and almost hits the end of the PCI-E slot. There is only a small heat sink on the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit, similar to a CPU) with a 40mm fan, as it doesn’t need much cooling. There is no need for an external power connector, as it is a low wattage card, so all it’s power is supplied by the PCI-E slot. In the front, we have the video outputs and dual DVI connections. This is a definite ‘plus’ as you can use a dual monitor setup using the DVI interfaces! You won’t have to worry about having one monitor using analog and one using the digital connector. I’m surprised by this, as you normally don’t see this feature on lower-end cards like this one, but if you have a VGA monitor, you can still use the VGA to DVI connector. Lastly, there is a S-Video output in the center of both DVI connectors allowing you to use your TV as a monitor.”
GIGABYTE 7600GS HDMI Video Card Review
Motherboards.org :: Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The 7600GS from GIGABYTE is an interesting video card. Unfortunately, the card came bare with no bundle or accessories, and I had no HDMI capable monitor to test it with. With the proliferation of video cards on the market today supporting only the DVI-I and D-Sub adapter, HDMI at the moment is a niche market. As we move further into an era where HD-DVD and Blu-Ray content replace DVDs I believe video cards like the GV-NX76G256HI-RH will become more the norm. The era of HD content is here and the HDCP requirements will push HDMI to the forefront.
Sapphire X1950 XTX Toxic Review
Technic 3d :: Monday, February 12, 2007
“The Sapphire X1950 XTX Toxic arrived Technic3D. The Graphic Card with Thermaltake Watercooling and 695 MHz better than others High-End Graphic Cards? Technic3D will see that in the following Review.”
LG GBW-H10N
CDR Info :: Monday, February 12, 2007
LG GBW-H10N is a Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner that provides 4X burning speed with SL Blu-ray media. LG is the first that ships 4X Blu-Ray recorder at the market and at a lower price than competitors. Generally, it proved a very good drive with the only dark cloud being CD error correction and to a lesser extent, DVD error correction, and the inability to burn Dual Layer Blu-ray media.
LiteOn LH-2041P
CDR Info :: Monday, February 12, 2007
The first LiteOn DVDRW recorder that supports up to 20X burning speed with DVD-R and DVD+R media. We test this drive under our Professional Testing equipment with a massive 30+ different DVD media and evaluate its burning performance. Overall we feel the drive needs improvement at high burning speeds with DVDs but its good reading performance is still an attractive feature.
512MB USB 2.0 MPEG4/MP3/DVR Player
RB Mods :: Monday, February 12, 2007
In life today, we’re always on the move. It seems like you’re never where you want to be and everything takes longer than you think it will. An MP3 player helps, being able to listen to your music while abyss fully waiting in line at the DMV or maybe you’ll read a book. If you can, maybe watch a movie. Maybe even bring a photo album too look at…. Well, today we’re looking at something that can do this all, without stealing your wallet.
HT Omega CLARO 7.1 Channel Sound Card
Bjorn 3d :: Monday, February 12, 2007
HT Omega, Inc. is among the first companies to offer authentic high-fidelity sound at a true 24-bit level of performance. The world class Oxygen 8788 based audio processor by C-Media supports most all industry standards for 3D computer sound, including EAX™ 1.0 & 2.0, A3D™ 1.0 and DirectSound™. Other very large companies abused consumer trust and have made claims to having this level of sound, only to wind up in court disputes or offer subsequent products that boast 24-bit processing but haplessly renders at 16-bit. HT Omega has released the real deal: CLARO 24-bit/192KHz 8-channel high definition sound.
OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 ATI CrossFire review
Tech Spot :: Monday, February 12, 2007
These ATI CrossFire Certified memory modules were first announced last September 2006 and since then we have not heard or seen much from these. Other than the marketing spin put in the press release, there has been little information to go on. What we know is that these modules are designed and certified for CrossFire platforms by ATI, and that is about the bulk of it. So other than being 1GB DDR2-800 memory modules designed to operate in dual-channel mode at CAS4-4-4-12 with 2.1 volts, there is not a great deal more we can tell you.
Everyone has been asking what is so special that makes these red modules more qualified to work with CrossFire platforms than the next DDR2-800 memory. Having ourselves asking the same question, we plan to find out if there is a price to be paid for extra compatibility or not.
Visiontek X1950 Pro 256MB AGP review
Driver Heaven :: Monday, February 12, 2007
About a month ago we reviewed the Sapphire AGP version of the X1950Pro. The focus of the review was on how well the card compared to a PCI-E version of the same card. The results were surprising as there was literally no difference between the two bus types. This time around we’ll be focusing more on how far we can actually push the AGP card. While 1600×1200 is enough for most, it can’t hurt to see if an AGP card can handle a game running at 1920×1200. After all, one of the main arguments against AGP is the (so called) limited bandwidth.
PC infrared remote control tutorial updates
OC Inside :: Monday, February 12, 2007
There are several different PC remote control tutorials on the ocinside.de modding section for long time. They include serial infrared receiver, USB IR receiver and also different solutions to switch the PC with a remote control on and off. Today, new versions of the 3 most important infrared receivers were published, as well as new DIY solder kits.
Creative XMod
t-break :: Monday, February 12, 2007
Plug, play and enjoy. Those three words basically describe the XMod by Creative- a small and stylish device that “enhances” the quality of audio that you’re listening to. Packaged in small and slick black box, the XMod comes with a white pouch, a white USB cable and a white pair of earphones.
SteelSeries SteelSound 3H
techPowerUp :: Monday, February 12, 2007
Today we will be taking a look at the recently launched and highly anticipated SteelSound 3H gaming headset, which should bring some quality audio to the low-/midrange headphone market. The headset can be folded together nicely to take up very little space in your LAN party backpack, for a very competitive price of $50.
nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 320MB – Halving the memory
Tweak Town :: Monday, February 12, 2007
“They shouldn’t have changed the name anyway, since it is an 8800GTS with just less memory. Fortunately they didn’t do something stupid like call it the “8850GT” which does nothing but cause panic to everyone who owns a new graphics card.
Palit have come to the party today and shown us the 320MB version of the 8800GTS – we’re going to have a quick look at it and the package before we gets stuck into what really matters, and of course what we really want to know. Are we sacrificing much by loosing 320MB of memory?”
HT Omega Claro Soundcard
Dragonsteel Mods :: Monday, February 12, 2007
” A little bit ago I took a look at a soundcard from Bluegears, based on the C-Media Oxygen 8788 sound engine and I found it to be a very capable card. Today for review, HT Omega has sent me their HT Claro soundcard, it is based on the Oxygen 8787 chipset, which is more of a bigger brother to the 8788, and I have to say I’ve found this to be one great soundcard. Normally I’ve been pretty happy with the onboard sound of my motherboards, in the last couple years it has come very far and it’s fairly decent, especially if you have a good set of speakers to use with it, but once you know what it is to use a real high end soundcard, you can really never go back to the onboard sound. So read on to learn more about the HT Claro soundcard from HT Omega… ”
XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB XXX Edition
Bjorn 3d :: Monday, February 12, 2007
In a continuation from the featured GeForce 8800 series product launch covered by Bjorn3d.com, NVIDIA has added some new spice to the plate with their introduction of a new value-priced GeForce 8800 GTS video card featuring a 320MB video frame buffer. Built on the exact same high performance platform as the previous 640MB version, this new edition to the family offers all of the same great performance at almost half the cost.
Geforce 8800 GTS 320Mb Review – Does 640Mb matter?
Madshrimps :: Monday, February 12, 2007
“With the introduction of the Geforce 8800 GTS NVIDIA made available an affordable high end DX10 video card, now they’ve slashed its memory in half, reduced the price, to make it even better deal. Can the new GTS keep up with its memory-loaded brother? We find out.”
Samsung 22″ WideScreen LCD Monitor
LAN Addict :: Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Bruno is back in the saddle with one of Samsung\’s latest creations. The 225BW 22\” WideScreen! If you haven\’t realized, word has been spreading like wildfire over this monitor! Does a resolution of 1680×1050 on a 16:10 aspect ratio with a blazing fast 5ms response time all under a price tag of $300.00 sound like it will fit your bill? Find out what Bruno thinks inside!
AMD ATI Radeon X1650 XT
Driver Heaven :: Wednesday, February 07, 2007
The battle for supremacy in the graphics card arena is as fierce as ever these days, and both companies (nVIDIA and ATI – yes, we’ll continue to call it that) are keen to point out their advantages and try to grab as much market share as possible. nVIDIA has stolen the thunder recently with the introduction of the all-powerful 8800 line of cards, but it’s the midrange market segment where the battle is usually won or lost for the two companies. The reason is quite simple: although the super high-end cards earn bragging rights, it’s the £100 cards and lower that are the best sellers, and in this category both companies want to be able to claim victory. When was the last time a friend approached you because you know more about computers, and asked: “Hey, I would like to buy a new graphics card to play all the latest games with great speeds, and I am prepared to pay good money; up to £100!” I bet that has happened more than once!
Gainward 8800GTX Review –
XS Reviews :: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
“2006 was the year of Nvidia. Straight off the back of their 7950GX2 release – an awesome card in itself – came the jaw dropping performance of their latest incarnations, the 8800GTX and GTS. Today I have with me Gainward’s rendition of the 8800GTX; lets see if this card is all its hyped up to be.”
Logitech FreePulse Wireless Headphones Review
Digital Trends :: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
“Designed to be paired with all types of Apple iPods, the FreePulse headphones come with several small adapters to fit the original iPod, the iPod Video, the iPod Nano and the iPod Mini. Included in the box with the headphones is the wireless receiver, iPod adapters, AC power recharger, stereo mini-jack extension cord and a quick-start guide. After an initial charge of the headphones and receiver that takes about 40 minutes, the next step is to find the right iPod adapter to fit the receiver to your iPod. After finding and attaching the adapter to the wireless receiver, you connect the receiver to your iPod and are ready to start enjoying music. For those people who have MP3 players other than the iPod, there is also a short extension cable to work with any media player that has a stereo mini-jack.”
PCI-E x1 Graphics Performance with Galaxy GeForce 7300GT
Tweaktown :: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
“There are three key reasons why a PCI-E x1 graphics card can work and we’ll show you why. Today we are checking out a GeForce 7300GT that utilizes DDR-3 memory and PCI-E x1 slot. We’re going to have a look at what environments this could work in before we have a closer look at the card itself.
While we’re at it though, we will also have a look at it from a performance perspective in a low-end graphics card environment – is PCI-E x16 nothing more the marketing mumbo jumbo like AGP 8x vs. 4x (1056MB/s vs. 2112MB/s respectively) back in the day or is there actually a performance difference? Considering there is a total of 500MB/s of bandwidth (Single Data Lane – Both Directions) available on x1 slots compared to that of the huge 8000MB/s of bandwidth compared to x16 slots, it will be interesting.”
Pertelian X2040 LCD Review
XS Reviews :: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
“ForeSight Systems LLC… ever heard of them? Nor me, but today I have their Pertelian X2040 LCD display designed for the lazy end user who doesn’t want to do through the modding process of using, say, a Matrix Orbital. Hopefully their display will improve on others in the market.”
X.Org 7.2: ATI Open v. Closed Drivers
Phoronix :: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
“Last October we had compared the performance of the open-source R300 display driver against the closed-source fglrx driver for ATI Radeon graphics cards. In that comparison a Mobility Radeon X300 was used with X.Org 7.1, but we have decided to take another look at this driver comparison under X.Org 7.2. In this last comparison, the fglrx binary blob had greatly outperformed the open-source driver. While the fglrx driver remains faster, has the performance delta between these two drivers decreased?”
AMD/ATI Catalyst Control Centre Improvements
Overclock 3d :: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
AMD have announced some major improvements to the Catalyst Control Center to coincide with Windows Vista. In this article we take a look at what’s on the cards for the near future.
nMedia HTPC 200BA Enclosure Review
Virtual Hideout :: Monday, February 05, 2007
“We are a little over a month past Christmas, and I know some of us received some really good computer hardware. So what does that mean for the other hardware that was replaced, but is still good? It means it’s HTPC computer building time!”
BFG Geforce 8800 GTS
Hardware Overclock Austria :: Monday, February 05, 2007
Hardwareoverclock Austria has reviewed BFG’s Geforce 8800 GTS. We have tested them in a comparison to a 7950GX2 and 8800 GTX.
Foxconn 7950 GT OC 512MB Video Card
The Tech Lounge :: Monday, February 05, 2007
“What company first comes to mind when you think about NVIDIA video cards? Chances are you’re thinking of either BFG, XFX, or EVGA. In today’s review we’ll be taking a look at an overclocked 7950 GT from an enormous company whom, ironically, you may not be that familiar with, Foxconn. Chances are you own something Foxconn had a part in making. They produce Apple’s iPod and Mac Mini, Intel-branded motherboards, components for Dell, Hewlett Packard, and more… The reason Foxconn may not come to mind as a graphics card vendor is that they didn’t enter the market until March of last year. We’ll compare their overclocked 7950 GT with a standard Leadtek 7950 GT along with 6 other cards.”
Antec Fusion HTPC Case
3dgameman :: Saturday, February 03, 2007
“There’s no mistaking that the Antec Fusion Case has a very sleek design. It fits a micro ATX motherboard, has two 120mm fans, two hard drive bays and one external 5.25″ drive bay. They also include a Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) and an Active PFC, efficient 430W power supply. It even uses a three chamber thermal design that facilitates cooling and will result in lower case temperatures than a traditional desktop case. This design also means it will be quieter. Watch the video to find out more and check out the bloopers at the end.”
SteelSound 4H Gaming Headset Review
Think Computers :: Friday, February 02, 2007
“Here at ThinkComputers we have already taken a look at the SteelSound 3H and 5H headsets. The 3H being on the low-end side and the 5H being on the high-end. Today we will be taking a look at the 4H, which is the mid-range headset in the series. SteelSound has always made good headsets so let’s see how the 4H measures up.”
Slim Devices Squeezebox Review
Techgage :: Friday, February 02, 2007
Wireless is now, so why not include your music within the realm of this amazing technology? That’s what Slim Devices is out to do with their Squeezebox. Not only can it wirelessly deliver music to anywhere in your home, it’s also finely tuned with the Rhapsody music service for the ability to listen to even more music. It can even handle lossless audio formats!
First look at Biostar and ATi’s RS690G
PC Stats :: Friday, February 02, 2007
The AMD 690 chipset series will include variants incorporating integrated graphics processors (IGP) based on the former ATI’s Radeon graphics technology, and is designed to be paired with the ATI-developed SB600 south bridge, said the sources. At least two IGP versions are planned which promise to offer higher visual performance than current IGP solutions, noted the sources. Additionally, the higher-end variant, the AMD 690G, will offer extra support for features including DVI, HDMI, and HDCP, added the motherboard makers.
C-Media Oxygen HD sound cards from Auzentech and Sondigo
The Tech Report :: Friday, February 02, 2007
CREATIVE HAS ALL BUT OWNED the market for PC audio cards since it introduced the original Sound Blaster way back when. That dominance has only grown over the years, in part because Creative has made some very good sound cards, but also because the company has managed to swallow up some of its competitors and outmuscle others. Now, though, Creative is starting to see some real competition. C-Media’s new Oxygen HD audio chip is finding its way into numerous sound cards from relative upstarts, and enthusiasts have taken notice.
Otherwise known as the CMI8788, the Oxygen HD supports resolutions and sampling rates up to 32 bits and 192kHz across eight channels. More importantly, the Oxygen HD’s feature set includes the ability to encode Dolby Digital Live and DTS, allowing it to produce multi-channel digital output via a single S/PDIF connection rather than a mess of analog cables—a capability not even Creative’s vaunted X-Fi can match.
Of the handful of manufacturers building sound cards with the Oxygen HD, Auzentech and Sondigo have the most divergent approaches. Sondigo’s Inferno is a basic implementation of the Oxygen HD that takes full advantage of the chip’s capabilities but doesn’t really push the envelope on features and extras. Auzentech’s X-Meridian is a little more exotic, with a focus on output quality and flexibility that goes so far as to allow users to swap out onboard chips. Keep reading to find out which of these implementations we prefer and whether either can challenge the X-Fi’s mix of features, performance, and sound quality.
Logitech Z-10 PC Speaker System Review
Digital Trends :: Friday, February 02, 2007
“The Z-10 speakers ooze quality, and at the price you’ll be paying for two speakers ($150 at review time), they better. The first thing we noticed was that the box was as heavy as many 2.1 speaker setups, a good sign that we’ll be getting quality electronics and probably good bass. The packaging is premium quality, and the all-gloss surfaces come with a plastic peel-off protective cover so they stay smudge free. Besides the speakers themselves, you get a USB cord, male/male stereo cord, and software CD. The power cord is permanently fixed to the right speaker, which also houses the stereo port and media control buttons. ”
HIS Radeon X1650XT and X1950PRO – Quiet Gaming
Tweak Town :: Friday, February 02, 2007
“We have with us a pair of cards from HIS, one the Radeon 1650XT and the other a Radeon 1950PRO. We will see what these particular cards from HIS have to offer us along with what card is best for you. If you’re on an LCD monitor that only supports a resolution as high as 1280 x 1024, is it worth the extra money to move to the X1950PRO? We’ll discuss this and more.
Normally we see a lot of IceQ type graphics cards from HIS but this time around while we do have an IceQ edition in the shape of the Radeon X1950PRO we also got the chance to check out the new iSilenceII cooling design on the Radeon X1650XT.”
Gainward Bliss 8800GTS 640MB Golden Sample – Overclocked!
Tweak Town :: Friday, February 02, 2007
“nVidia’s GeForce 8800GTS just got a little bit better thanks to Gainward with their Golden Sample graphics card. We understand that overclocking isn’t a hard task but that’s us. Overclocking isn’t for everybody and if it was companies like Gainward and BFG wouldn’t have much joy selling pre-overclocked cards. It’s nice to know that for a few extra dollars you can open the box, place it in your system, and be slightly faster than your mate down the road with a standard GeForce 8800GTS.
The biggest problem that we have really has nothing to do with the card. The package really should have had a little something extra and video cables are really a pretty standard item these days, not choosing to include them was like XFX not choosing to include the PCI Express power adapter in their 8800GTS. While a lot of people might have them, there is still going to be a portion of people who don’t. They should always be included.”
Four GeForce 8800 GTS and GTX compared
hartware.net :: Friday, February 02, 2007
Hartware.net has reviewed and compared four GeForce 8800 graphics cards from ASUS and Foxconn. Where are the differences? Well, at least one is an overclocked model, the Foxconn 8800 GTS.
Dell 2407 24inch TFT Monitor
Driver Heaven :: Friday, February 02, 2007
24inch monitors are gaining popularity within the enthusiast gaming community so with that in mind we take a look at Dell’s 2407 screen, the follow up to the 2405 which we also reviewed last year. A competitively priced screen with a wide array of inputs. But does it offer high image quality as well?
A Quick Look at Audio Formats
Big Bruin :: Friday, February 02, 2007
Outside of the government and the military, the computer world uses the most acronyms. This is especially true for the names of audio formats. There are dozens of formats, each with its own reason for being and with its own strengths and weaknesses. But what do all of those names mean? And how do you deal with an audio file that you’re not familiar with?