OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 2GB Dual Channel Platinum XTC
Bjorn3D :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
XTC (Xtreme Thermal Convection) heatspreaders optimize the thermal management of memory modules by promoting greater airflow by means of micro-convection throughout what is usually the dead air space inside conventional heatspreader designs. In this manner, build-up of heat is avoided and thermal dissipation of the memory components is offloaded more efficiently through the honeycomb design. At the same time, mechanical stability is maintained.
MSI RD480 Neo2-FI
TechFEAR :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Summary: “If you’re in the market for a budget-minded ATI CrossFire equipped motherboard, the MSI RD480 Neo2-FI may be the board for you. Its performance, stability and reliability are solid, but how does it fair in the all important usability category?”
DRM and Fair Use
ASE Labs :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
This report will discuss the implications and ramifications of Digital Rights Management (DRM) and how it impedes on consumers right to fair use. Fair use is what gives consumers basic rights to content that they purchase. Copyright owners have been against fair use since the first piece of electronic recording equipment was released. Consumer rights are being violated by DRM.
Linux Powered LCD TV
CoolTechZone :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
G-Cooler Liquid CPU Cooler
Think Computers :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Exclusive EPIA-EN15000 Mini-ITX review
Epiacenter.com :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“Well, compared to the C3 the C7 is a big step forward for VIA. You can immediatly feel the performance increase on your desktop and of course you can easily check it with some benchmarks.”
“VGA Cooler Roundup April 2006”
Madshrimps :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: “6 different VGA coolers are tested in our latest roundup, products from Arctic Cooling, Sytrin and Zalman stressed using an XFX 7800GT running at default and overclocked speeds, while each heatsink is tested at different fan speeds and GPU temperature and noise readings are recorded. What cooler will suite you best? Read on to find out.”
Tomb Raider Legend Review
Driver Heaven :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Tomb Raider has been developed for everything from the current generation consoles like the Playstation 2, all the way to the next generation consoles like the Xbox360 and since the PC can have millions of hardware configurations, you can have your graphics range from PS2 quality to Xbox360 quality. To have the highest quality visuals, you must enable a ?Next-Generation? setting which turns on everything you can imagine (and then some), ranging from High Dynamic Range, parallax mapping, self shadowing, high resolution textures and dynamic shadows. In summary, you get the whole lot of goodies and usually, this will completely and utterly destroy your system unless you?re lucky enough to have a very powerful Crossfire or SLI system. You must not forget that you need a PixelShader 3.0 compatible card too if you wish to enable this.
Silverstone Temjin 07 Case Review on Technic3D
Technic3d :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: ” The luxury Case Silverstone Temji 07 place offers for two PSUs and many Drives. Justifies it the high price? See you in the following Review on Technic3D ”
Remembering Greg Tucker and ZXMODS @ Virtual-Hideout
Virtual-Hideout :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: Greg Tucker, founder of ZXMODS.com, and the creator of the original VH fan grills, has passed away on February 20, 2006. He was tragically killed by a car while walking in New York. I have put up a memorial forum thread so you all can share your thoughts on this senseless lose. This is deeply saddening as I’ve worked with Greg many times. God Bless.
visit the forum thread about Greg.
G.Skill F2-4200PHU1-512SA
techPowerUp! :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
A few weeks ago I got me a new notebook from Lenovo, the Thinkpad X60s. Soon I realized that the default memory configuration of 512 MB is not enough. Since the official memory upgrades are rather expensive I thought I’d give G.SKILL notebook memory a try. These modules come for about half the price of the original memory and offer rock stable performance for your memory hungry
Vantec AVOX Jukebox
Techgage :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: We are taking a look at a very interesting product from Vantec, called the AVOX Jukebox. It looks like many other 2.5″ enclosures on the market, but not only does this one work as an external drive, but also a media player when hooked up to your TV. Good or gimmick? Read the review and see.
How To Tidy Up iTunes MP3 collection
Digital Grabber :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
If like me you have a big music collection gathered from lots of sources, then you are probably having the same problems with the awful metadata that some tracks have. A lot of my tracks have weird or missing track details, errors and for some tracks I have no ID3 tags at all for the artist and album. I also have a lot of duplicates which have happened from mistakenly importing the same CD twice, or when I’ve added a friends collection to mine and they have the same track but with a slightly different filename, so it slipped through the net.
Microprocessor History, Part 1
BTX FormFactor :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: The microprocessor, or CPU, as some people call it, is the brains of our personal computer. I’m getting into this history lesson not because I’m a history buff (though computers do have a wonderfully interesting past), but to go through the development step-by-step to explain how they work.
Patriot PC2-5300 2GB DDR2 Memory
ViperLair :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“We’ve covered the 1GB to 2GB debate before and needless to say there is no application demanding reason at this time to dump your current kit for a 2GB one if you’re satisfied with the performance. However, we here at VL are not the types to settle for a software manufacturer’s recommended ram requirements. Our general rule is whatever they say you should have, double it.”
VIZO Opera Portable 2.5″ HDD Enclosure & Multimedia Player Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
How Does A Web Page Appear In a Browser?
PC Mechanic :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Let us start with a familiar analogy – the telephone. Calling is the easiest way to talk to a friend. To place a call, you must have a telephone connection and a phone number. How do you get a telephone connection and a number? You call your local authority, the telephone company, and ask to be connected to the telephone network.
InuYasha: The Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler Anime DVD Review
Think Computers :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Asus P5WD2-E Review
Neoseeker :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“This is some seriously nice stuff! Our 50% increase in FSB and 31% increase in CPU clock speed netted us increases of ~25% in Doom 3, ~44% in SiSoft Sandra Memory Bandwidth, and ~21% in WinRAR. Had there been finer adjustments for the DDR2 clock, we would have probably managed to overclock the RAM a good amount, allowing the memory-hungry Pentium 4 to feed off some extra bandwidth.”
ECS KN1 SLI Extreme Review
GruntvillE :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“I was impressed with the sheer amount of stuff in the box. However, most of them are fairly standard with enthusiast motherboards today with two exceptions; Top Hat BIOS and the 3.5” Bracket. Many boards come with the D-Bracket and extra USB/1394 ports for the rear of the system, but the KN1 SLI Extreme is the first that I have ever heard of that comes with a faceplate for a 3.5” drive that you can mount the ports after removing the bracket. This is a nice touch.”
G.Skill F1-3200PHU1-512NS DDR 400 Memory Review on Technic3D
Technic3d :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: “G.Skill offers a memory for a good Price and a red heatspreader, the 512ns DDR 400. Technic3D will see as good they are”
XG Duro 900 Power Supply
Techgage :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: If the motherboard is the brain of any PC then the power supply is the heart. Today we’re taking a look at a power supply that has all the heart you should need for any modern enthusiast system and the cost won’t put your wallet on life support.
Dell 2005FPW 20.1″ Widescreen LCD
The Tech Lounge :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“Dell has been a long-standing fixture in the LCD market. Ever since LCD displays have come down in price enough to be affordable for the regular consumer, Dell has been big on getting LCDs into the hands of consumers. The Dell 2005FPW LCD Monitor is a 20.1” (diagonal) display, and comes with a stand that is not only height-adjustable, but it also has swivel and pivot functionality.”
Spire VertiCool II SP601B3 AMD Athlon64 Heatsink Review
Frosty Tech :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Gimicks and flashy chrome plated parts are absent on the Spire VertiCool II SP601B3 save for a UV reactive “Spider-Fan” frame. The 80mm fan is not self-illuminated by LED’s or any other means, but according to the manufacturer it will glow blue under UV case lighting should you have such accoutrements in your PC case. A small tube of Stars-420 white silicon thermal compound is included, along with screw-based AMD K8 and Intel LGA775 mounting brackets and rar PCB supports. There are no fan speed control options.”
4GB Apple iPod nano Review
Bjorn3D :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
iPod, schmiPod…at least that’s what I thought until several weeks ago when I finally got my hands on one. Thanks to Geeks.com, I have a 4GB Apple iPod nano for review. Yeah, yeah, it’s been out for a while, but it’s far from the end of its lifecycle, so why not read another opinion about this top-selling digital audio player (DAP)?
http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=906
Aspire Q-Pack Micro-ATX Chassis Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: “.. if there was one m-ATX chassis on the market for the constant hardware swapper, this would probably be the case. Aspire really put some thought into the design and the slide-out motherboard tray, easy HDD cage, and one piece cover to allow full access to the inside by removing just 3 screws.”
The BoxHeads LAN – April 2006
Phoronix :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“The BoxHeads, one of the largest LAN organizations in Michigan, which attracts visitors from all over the Midwest and Canada, had held its first LAN event for the year. While their venue was the limiting factor, yesterday’s event was for 144 gamers and a complete day full of various gaming and hardware activities. A great deal of prizes were given away, and Phoronix had also sponsored a unique computer modding competition. Team ATI was also out in force at the event. While the event was largely a success, there were some damaging power issues.
Logisys Clear Acrylic Case
Techgage :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: Are you sick of having a computer case that doesn’t make much of a statement? Do you want your room to look like something straight out of a gamer’s den? Logisys realizes that some of you do, so they make clear acrylic cases to fit your needs.
Being A Game Developer
Laptop Gamers :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
The games industry is now a massive multi billion dollar business and development teams can number 50 or more. My first game had me as programmer, artist, and beep designer – (well it wasn’t proper sound!). I did everything. Back then games were written in assembler and you had to learn 6502 and Z80. Nowadays with a few exceptions games are written in C and C++. The days of back room programmers aren’t entirely gone- there is also ‘retro remake’ and ‘indie’ scene, e.g. Retrospec but unless you have an exceptionally brilliant idea, you are not likely to get into the mainstream game business as a one man outfit writing Blockbuster PC games.
Cooler Master CM Media 260 HTPC Review
Technic3d :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: “iMON Software for Home Cinema and a small CM 260 from Cooler Master. Technic3D used that Multimedia PC.”
Lian Li PC-S80B Aluminum Server Case Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: “The muffler on the back and foam padding throughout the case help reduce the sound transmissions. There is even foam around the door on the case. That is mostly aftermarket stuff, but it’s all included in the Lian Li PC-S80B!”
Patriot Memory PDC2G4000ELK DDR Memory Review
PCStats :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
DigiDock AC-2220 FM Transmitter Pictorial Review Posted!
Tech ARP :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote – “Almost everyone you know has a portable media player. Even you do too. But doesn’t it suck when you can’t listen to the same music in your car? Well, today, we will show you just how that might be possible with the DigiDock AC-2220 FM Transmitter! ”
Altec Lansing AHP 612 Wireless Headphones
Bona Fide Reviews :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
It seems everything is going wireless these days…so why not your headphones? Granted, wireless headphones have been around for quite some time, but range and sound quality have always been something to desire. Can Altec Lansing’s AHP612 successfully overstep these shortcomings and marry quality sound production with wireless portability?
Spire DiamondCool II SP741B3 AMD Athlon64 Heatsink Review
Frosty Tech :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“If there’s one truth about heatsinks, it’s that you can never tell a good one just by looking at it. The Spire DiamondCool II SP741B3 is one of those heatsinks that’s just hard to peg at first glance. It’s a hefty AMD Athlon64 K8 heatsink made of copper for sure, and copper means it has to be good right? The 90x90x25mm fan is UV-light reactive with a seven-bladed impeller that rotates at 2400RPM, producing in the region of 41CFM. It has four copper heatpipes are equally spaced and slightly inset into the thick copper base. That’s a lot of copper, let’s see what Spire make of all that… ”
Mushkin, Inc. to Launch Power Supply Line
Legit Reviews :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“The XP-650 is labeled as a 650W power supply, but has a peak output of 700W. The power supply has a combined 12V rail of 44A, which is more than enough to support SLI and CrossFire platforms. The XP-650 has four separate 12V rails all of which can be combined to form a single power rail thanks to what Mushkin is calling RailFusion Technology. When RailFusion occurs the green LED light on the back of the power supply will turn on letting you and anyone else look at the back of your case that you are pulling some serious power. ”
Tomb Raider: Legend
Techgage :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Quote: Guess who’s back? Lara’s back. This time around, the adventure is much larger than before. Once again, we get to travel through many exotic locales and kick back to the Tomb Raider roots. So, do we have a winner this time, or will it suffer the same fate as Angel of Darkness?
How Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) Works
Hardware Secrets :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
“Signals in the real world are analog: light, sound, you name it. So, real-world signals must be converted into digital, using a circuit called ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter), before they can be manipulated by digital equipment. In this tutorial we will give an in-depth explanation about analog-to-digital conversion yet keeping a very easy to follow language.”
Gainward to refresh their 7800 GS AGP to 7900 GT specs?
Pure Overclock :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Quote: We’ve heard solid rumours that Gainward have a fantastic new card on the way, and it’s a refresh of there most ambitious GPU to date, the AGP 7800GS. The new refresh will be known as the BLISS 7800 GS SILENT 512MB GS ”+” and guess what? It has 24 pipes which essentially means it is based on the 7900 GT core.
Kingwin SK-523 ATX Case
PC Apex :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
“Although the door is aluminum, the front bezel itself is made of plastic. The finish on this case is a very stylish satin black with a few minor chrome highlights.”
Thermaltake Tai-Chi
techPowerUp! :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Thermaltake Matrix VX Case
Bjorn3D :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Which case is better, Aluminum or Steel? To answer this question properly one must first quantify what advantage(s) each material brings to the table. Steel (SECC) is stronger and generally more rigid than aluminum leading to less resonance which in most instances decreases the noise from vibration of any components inside the case. Aluminum is much lighter weight making it much easier to move from one point to another. Aluminum is also considerably easier and probably cheaper to fabricate and manufacture.
Asus Atlas 55GA 550W PSU @ Viperlair
ViperLair :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
“The Asus Atlas 55GA has a sexy stylish design overall which I think many will like. Couple this with almost inaudible and efficient cooling and that is a good basis off the bat. Support for ATX2.01 (and BTX Compatibility), 24 Pin power and P8 power are Modular in design to maintain backwards compliance with ATX. Of course Dual 12v rails help spread the load and you also get a 6 pin PCIe power connector.”
Everglide Titan Gaming Mouse Mat Review
XS Reviews :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
“When it comes to choosing computer components, it is usually relatively simple to determine which is the best. Review sites and magazines produce benchmarks on everything from Graphics Cards to Hard drives, which lets you, the End-User, know which components are the best money can buy. However, this is not usually the case for mouse mats; especially the gaming variety. There are so many mouse mats ranging in size, texture and colour, and with no definitive tests to decide which is the best, it is often quite hard to write a review on them. However, having several mouse mat reviews under our belt here at XSR, we felt we could do a relatively good job. So here is our take on the Everglide Titan, a mouse mat that is larger than most, smoother than most, and certainly games in the top few mouse mats I have tried too.”
Vizo Gemini Wireless Mouse
TechTastic :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Quote: Today we take a look at a new mouse from Vizo. The Vizo Gemini Mouse features an 800 dpi high precision optical sensor and is cordless to boot.
News: A pair of water coolers compared
The Tech Report :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Two of the more interesting water cooling kits on the market are Corsair’s new Nautilus500 and Zalman’s Reserator 1 Plus. Both are second generation kits, and while Zalman’s design is a refinement of the original Reserator, the Nautilus500 is all-new for Corsair. Each offers a different take on water cooling, as well. The Reserator targets low noise levels, while the Nautilus aims for ease of installation. But which kit is best for you? And perhaps more importantly, is either significantly superior to traditional air cooling? Let’s take a look.
ZVUE 200A Handheld Media Player
Think Computers :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Toshiba Qosmio F20 Notebook Review
CoolTechZone :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Seagate 500GB and Western Digital 400GB drives reviewed
Tech Spot :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Processors are incredibly fast, RAM is rocketing its way through our games, and videocards pack more punch than ever. With all these screamingly fast system components available, often the hard drive is neglected. It’s a commonly known fact that despite of several improvements in the past years, hard drives are still the biggest performance bottleneck in desktop systems today. That is why having a fast, large hard drive should be a priority for all computer users.
Today we take a look at two of the largest desktop drives on the market from two of the most popular hard drive vendors. From Western Digital, we received the Caviar SE 4000KD which is a 400GB 4-platter SATA-II behemoth, and from Seagate, the Barracuda 7200.9 500GB 4-platter SATA-II drive.
Linux File System Demystified
OS Weekly :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
“Roughly speaking, Linux is a versatile operating system that supports a wide range of file systems. This is made possible by the unified interface of the Linux kernel. This unified interface is known as “virtual file interface.” Note that it’s not a file system on its own but an interface that provides a clearly defined link between the operating system kernel and different file systems.”
DFI RS482 Infinity
Overclockers Online :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Quote: DFI has once again developed a motherboard that caters to the enthusiasts but also carries riches needed in a fully-fledged multimedia PC. Some of you will remember my review on the ECS RS-480M that utilized ATi’s RS480 Northbridge and SB400 South Bridge. This newer motherboard uses the newer RS482 for the North Bridge and SB450 for the South Bridge on the newer 90nm technology. Since our little package is coming from the fine folks at DFI, we expect nothing but the best. Given DFI’s previous track record on stellar performance and overclocking abilities, I’m expecting a lot out of this motherboard. Is it possible that I set the bar too high? Well, we’ll find out soon enough!
WinFast NF4SK8AA-8EKRS Motherboard Review
Legit Reviews :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Power Supply (PSU) Buying Guide
The Tech Zone :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Before you begin any type of shopping for a PSU, find the amount of power required which your computer system is currently using. If you plan on upgrading your computer system and will be using the power supply, then it is wise to forecast the wattage for your future computer system. One particular way of determining this, is using an online PSU wattage calculator. The one I reference, eXtreme PSU Calculator, is in my opinion, the best one found online so far, and takes into account many of the latest systems such as dual- and quad-processors, overclocking, SCSI, SATA, and much more. In addition to the eXtreme PSU Calculator, eXtreme Outer Vision’s website is also a great place to go for other calculators relating to other aspects of your PC.
Top Spin 2 Review (360)
Think Computers :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Corsair Nautilus500 External Water Cooling
Techgage :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Quote: It may come as a surprise to some, but memory moguls Corsair actually threw together quite a great water cooling kit called COOL. Well, now they are testing different waters.. an external kit! We will be testing it on a very, very hot Intel Dual Core, so let’s see how it does.
News: Vizo Gemini Wireless Mouse Reviewed
MetkuMods :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
“Instantly after installing Gemini, it is clear that this is not the mouse for a serious gamer. Fast moves for example in Counter-Strike makes the mouse confused to which direction it should be moving the cursor. I tried different surfaces, but fast moves are not for Gemini.”
Cooler Master Stacker 830 Full Tower Enclosure
TweakTown :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
QUOTE: “The overall aesthetics of the case are extremely pleasing. Apart from the drool-worthy aluminium finish, the detailing is picked out in black – black mesh for the side, top and front panels for airflow, and black plastic for the top power/USB console and the front USB/Firewire/audio panel. There’s not much patterning on the case which gives it a sleek and uncluttered look. The side panels actually extend back further than the rear of the case which makes the whole thing look like it was tested in a wind tunnel, but has the unexpected benefit that the rear cabling is mostly hidden from view.”
Super Talent 2GB PC2-6400 T800UX2GC4
Techgage :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Quote: Most people have not even heard of Super Talent, but they are not new to the memory market. They are however new to the enthusiast side of things. It looks like they know what they are doing, because these modules are FAST. Let’s take a deep look and see just how impressive they are.
Brando SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Conversion Cable
Bona Fide Reviews :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Quote: Today we took a look at a unique product from Hong Kong based company Brando. The device is their SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 converter cable. The idea behind the unit is simple, you plug in your IDE or SATA based device and this cable converts the input into USB 2.0 turning the device into an external piece of hard ware. This is similar to how a external hard drive enclosure works but it works with three types of connections. Our cable was also shipped with a power supply to power the IDE/SATA device since it obviously would need to get power from some source other than the PC’s PSU if it was to be used outside of the computer case.
Analysis: Blue Screen of Death (BSoD)
OS Weekly :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
“Generally, there are two screens that users refer to as Blue Screen of Death. The first one is situated within Windows NT4/2000/XP environment, while the second one is embedded in Windows 9x surroundings. Although both screens are considered “deadly,” the one in Windows NT4/2000/XP environment takes the lead for a variety of reasons. Blue screens, as many of us know, have been in existence since the days of Windows 3.1 and were actually originated from IBM’s Black Screen of Death.”
Sytrin KuFormula VF1 Review
PC Modding Malaysia :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Content: “Once again, Sytrin brings yet another great product to the market and the KuFormula VF1 Plus is one of the top graphic card coolers with good cooling performance. However, the whole setup is bulky and it is definitely not for dual graphic cards users. The price for the Sytrin KuFormula VF1 Plus is around 45USD/ RM165, although it might be expensive for a graphic card cooler but it is worth it if you have graphic card which generate a lot of heat. ”
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 4
Designtechnica :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
“Denmark-based Bang & Olufsen, world renowned for their combination of stylish flair and high end audio technology, recently introduced a new compact audio system which sports a CD player, FM radio and Secure Digital media card slot for music recording and playback. The new BeoSound 4 is, like other Bang & Olufsen products, only available for demo in an official company retail outlet.”
HEXUS.opinions :: Scale this
Hexus :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Amdahl’s law says that it is the algorithm that decides the speedup and not the number of processors, and you eventually reach a place where parallelization doesn’t buy you anything, the point of diminishing returns.
Tt Tidewater Dual VGA Cooling Kit
Overclocker Café :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
The Thermaltake Tidewater Dual VGA Cooling Kit is for just what you would think; liquid cooling for SLI or CrossFire systems sporting two VGA cards. What’s nice is that this all in one kit allows the end user to water cool their video cards in SLI/CrossFire mode completely independent of what type of cooling may or may not be installed for the processor. The OCC not only looks at GPU temperature performance but the effects of taking the air flow off a VGA card and what that does to memory temperatures. Have a look at what the OC Cafe has to say about it.
In spite of these considerations; in the end, I find it hard not to really like the Tt Tidewater unit. It certainly brings performance to the table from several perspectives. In low speed trim, its operation was all but silent. The fit and finish of the components was noteworthy in itself and gave me a new respect for the designers at Thermaltake. Not to mention a very significant decrease in average GPU temperatures which is what the unit is designed for in the first place. With a street price of less than $110, you can water cool your VGA cards independent of any other CPU water cooling system that may or may not be installed in your system.
News: Core Duo on the desktop
The Tech Report :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
THE CORE DUO MAY WELL BE Intel’s best microprocessor. Conceived initially as a mobile processor, Core Duo is the dual-core descendant of the Pentium M and the direct predecessor to Intel’s next-generation microarchitecture, versions of which are due to arrive in desktops, servers, workstations, and laptops later this year. You can understand, then, why we have been waiting impatiently, wriggling in our chairs, until somebody–anybody–actually delivered a desktop-style motherboard for this puppy. This high-performance, low-power processor could be an ideal centerpiece for a fast but quiet desktop system or a killer home theater PC. Equipped with desktop-class cooling and overclocked accordingly, the Core Duo might turn into a fire-breathing titan of performance–and it could give us something of a glimpse of Intel’s future, as well.
One of the first Core Duo desktop mobos, the N4L-VM DH from Asus, finally arrived in Damage Labs just over a week ago. Since then, we’ve been busily testing this processor against a broad range of potential competitors, from other mobile-on-desktop options like the Turion 64 and Pentium M to the latest dual-core desktop processors like the Pentium Extreme Edition 965 and the Athlon 64 FX-60. Can the Core Duo really hold its own against today’s fastest desktop processors? What we found may surprise you.
Spire’s Verticool II Heatsink @ TechTastic.ca
TechTastic :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Quote: Today we take a look at a new uniquely designed heatsink/fan combo from Spire Coolers. The Verticool II is made of an all copper heatsink with dual copper heatpipes leading up to forty five aluminum micro-fins providing the optimal cooling configuration. The Verticool II is also capable of fitting nearly every processor available on the market today.
ThermalTake Rhythm
Bytesector :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Review: TeamGroup Xtreem 2x1gb Cronus – Part Two
Eclipse OC :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
We return with a second look at the TeamGroup modules that were tested a while ago due to some discrepancy in the results of end users. While not as good as the original set, these new modules still put out some respectable numbers.
The PSU Factor
The Tech Zone :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Digital Foci Memory Card Travel Case
Big Bruin :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Quote: The case is stylish and lightweight, and provides a convenient location for storing up to eight memory cards from some of the most popular formats. The main problem is that the rugged appearance and hard aluminum shell are all about looks. One drop from three feet onto a carpeted floor broke the case and sent the cards inside scattering.
NZXT Lexa Case Review
Overclocker Café :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
The Overclocker Cafe’ has posted their review of the NZXT Lexa Case. It looks to have all the bells and whistles of the big name case manufacturers and for that matter, even more! It also carries a top shelf price of $130 to go along with those top shelf features and distinctive looks. The OC Cafe’ boys seem to think it’s worth it. Here’s a snip of their review.
With the Lexa, they have introduced a case that is very stylish and with a look that is unique enough that even from a profile view you would know what it is. NZXT has successfully incorporated many simple and effective designs in this case from the tool free drive bays to the low noise fans to the cable management cage on the rear. This is by far the lightest case that I have reviewed and yet it is remarkably sturdy in it’s design. Weighing in at 12lbs (bare), the Lexa will make LAN traveling much easier. And to aid in that, the included case bag is perfect to help get you there.
Geeks.com Athlon 64 3000+ CPU/Motherboard Combo
Big Bruin :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Quote: The combination of the Biostar K8M800 motherboard with the AMD Athlon 64 3000+ processor should provide a substantial performance boost over an existing 32-bit system and save you plenty of money with onboard 6 channel audio, 10/100 LAN, and all be it very under powered video with the option of carrying over an AGP video card.
The 5 Deadly Sins of Photoshop Compositing
Digital Grabber :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
In the hands of a skilled user Photoshop can produce awe inspiring work; in the hands of a novice it can produce images of extremely poor quality. Unfortunately, as the popularity of the program grows and people become more and more exposed to these poor images, this lack of quality is becoming accepted as the norm. Here are the things to watch for when creating Photoshop compositions.
ABIT back in the game, AN8-32X scrutinised
TweakTown :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
QUOTE: “nVidia first said that twin PCI Express x8 slots would be enough to keep the SLI dual graphics masses happy but how wrong they were. Users are starting to use higher levels of AA and AF settings and resolutions keep getting higher (even hitting the 2046 x mark now) and to keep that type of resolution and graphics quality level happy, you need some monster hardware and a powerful interface for them to communicate across – and dual PCI Express x16 is the only way it can be done if you are really serious about your gaming.”
Inside Intel Core Microarchitecture
Hardware Secrets :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
“The new Intel Core microarchitecture, which was unveiled during IDF Spring 2006, will be used on all new CPUs from Intel, like Merom, Conroe and Woodcrest. It is based on Pentium M’s microarchitecture, bringing some new features. In this tutorial we will give you an in-depth trip into this new microarchitecture from Intel.”
Acer 17″ LCD Computer Monitor Review
3dXtreme :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
I’ve watched movies, played many different PC games (driving, FPS, etc) and spent alot of time surfing and comparing image quality with the Samsung monitor hooked up right next to it. This monitor is just amazing. There is no ghosting in games, the colors are vivid and bright and the ability to switch from the DVI to the VGA connection on the fly makes the Acer 17″ LCD monitor meet every expectation I had set forth for it. I was impressed when I first powered it up but after a few weeks of use I cannot say enough about this sub-$200 monitor.
Cooler Master Centurion 532 Case
ViperLair :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
“The real cheap cases can be had for under $40 these days, but for $20 to $30 more, we think you’ll be hard pressed to find a better choice under $80. It is easy to work with, well built and has good cooling performance.”
Sling Media Slingbox Personal Video Broadcaster
Big Bruin :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Quote: The basic concept of the Slingbox doesn’t seem that complicated, but it is definitely unique and offers a whole new way to enjoy two different technologies… The Slingbox allows you to watch and control your television from anywhere. The box connects to your cable TV connection (or other A/V source) and your network, and allows you to use just about any computer to watch television as if you were plopped down right in front of the tube itself.
The New Marketing Of Video Cards
The Tech Zone :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
In case you haven’t noticed, the high-end video cards are expensive with every release, and the same high-end video cards disappear from their pole position within 6 months or less due to another model replacing it. There are video card owners who feel betrayed after spending $700 on a graphics card, only to discover several months later the card can be purchased for half the amount. Are these consumers justified in being confused and at a loss for why their video card is outdated before their next birthday?
ArrowMax PSF-500SP 500W Power Supply
Big Bruin :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Guide: Making acrylic fan grills
GideonTech :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
“For the cutting, I used a slow speed and about 1/4 power. This let me move along at my own pace and kept the acrylic from jumping. If you were using metal, you’d want to use a faster speed to keep the edges from bending while cutting.”
Kororaa Xgl LiveCD v0.2
Phoronix :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
The Process of Booting an Operating System
OS Weekly :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Quote: “Thus far, we’ve discussed numerous intricacies of operating systems and how they interact with hardware, but we haven’t yet given much thought to the basic concepts of computer processes, such as the booting process that we all take for granted. This write-up is intended to discuss the general principals involved in booting the operating system.”
ColorVision PrintFIX PRO Suite Review
Futurelooks :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Have you ever printed out your pictures only to find that what you were editing on the screen didn’t match what spat out of your printer? Well, this gizmo should solve that problem altogether. ColorVision gives graphic artists and avid picture printers another tool to get those perfect prints.
Interactive AMD Athlon 64 Socket 754 Pinmod guide
OCInside.de :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
The interactive guide offers in the version 1.0 the possibility to increase the Vcore (CPU voltage) and can be used both with AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Sempron CPUs. Overclocking of the inexpensive AMD Sempron processors is now possible even if the Motherboard comes without or with small options for the voltage adjustment.
Will Vista Run on Your Computer?
PC Mechanic :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
The computing world is abuzz with rumors, and once in a while even facts, about Microsoft’s new version of Windows, dubbed Vista. It’s supposed to come out late this year for corporate customers, and in early 2007 for consumers.
OCZ DDR2 PC2-5400 Gold GX XTC 1 GB
Overclockers Online :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Quote: As for my experience and recommendation, I have to say this is fine RAM for someone doing some overclocking. Why? Well, out of the package you’re guaranteed a nice frequency to work your frontside bus up to as you keep the memory frequency at a 1:1 with your processor and the latency as low as you can without the system becoming unreliable.
Vizo Opera Portable HDD Enclosure & Multimedia Player
TechTastic :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Philips 230WP7NS 23″ WUXGA LCD Widescreen Monitor
Bona Fide Reviews :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Quote: Hot off of our review of the Samsung SyncMaster 214T we have an even larger display than the 214T, which measured in at 21.3″, in store for today. Philips 230WP7NS, their largest LCD display on the market, measures in at a whopping 23″. This makes the 230WP7NS the largest display ever reviewed on BonaFideReviews and we couldn’t be more eager to tear into it, figuratively speaking of course. The 230WP7NS is a WUXGA ( Widescreen Ultra eXtended Graphics Array) display that has a display resolution of 1920×1200 pixels with a 16:10 screen aspect ratio.
The 2 Megapixel Story
CoolTechZone :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
“The camera integration has in fact reached such a stage that any self-respecting phone would incorporate at least a megapixel camera. The cutting-edge feature to have though is the 2-megapixel variety. The question is: is it really worth the extra money you pay for it? Without getting into model-by-model comparisons, I am questioning the entire range of 2-megapixel camera phones. Are they really worth it?”
Scythe Katana Cu HSF Review
ap0calypse :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
“If someone was to ask you to name a heatsink manufacturer, I’d be willing to bet that Scythe would not be the first name that comes to mind. While not new to the scene, Scythe is still a relatively unknown name in the enthusiast market. This is unfortunate because as you have seen in past reviews of a few of Scythe’s coolers, every one has performed extremely well. Today I am going to take a look at another of their coolers aimed at the enthusiast market, the Katana Cu. Let’s see if this new all copper version of the Katana can help put the name Scythe, on the minds of more people. ”
Mags telling porkies about PS3 hands on
Hexus :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
No one on the mag had actually played the PS3. All they’ve done is have hands on with some dev kit – the same kit that Nick’s been on, he believes. And that’s actually an Apple Mac emulating what Sony says a PS3 will be like!
Crash Recovery & The Blue Screen of Death
PCStats :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Ninja programmer Chuck speaks about Oblivion driver
Hexus :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Chuck, the man behind the HDR+AA patch for Oblivion with X1k cards, speaks exclusively to HEXUS about developing the patch, amongst other things…
HEXUS: Can you write me a patch to turn the Oblivion gates pink, so my girlfriend will want to play it with me? Chuck @ ATI: Sure, no problem. But be careful, you might get what you wish for. I forced my wife to try Zuma and now she’s on my laptop playing it 24/7!
Smartbomb Book Review
TechFEAR :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Summary: “Do you want to know how gaming began or get an idea of where it is going? How about the demographics of gamers or the many contributions games have made to the world around you? Smartbomb attempts to answer those questions in a clearly written and entertaining manner.”
Vizo Shuttle 2.5” HDD Enclosure
Think Computers :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
AuzenTech HDA X-Plosion 7.1 DTS Connect Sound Card
Think Computers :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Pentagram NXC 100-Cu
techPowerUp! :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Pentagram has been a leading supplier of communication products for the european market in the last years. Now they are entering the CPU heatsink business with a load of new products. The NXC 100-Cu heatsink uses the proven “flower” design in an all-copper approach. The cooler supports all current CPU sockets and comes with an easy to use fan controller.
Arctic Cooling Accelero X2 VGA Review
Technic3d :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Quote: “The Arctic Cooling Accelero X2 are very silent with very good achievement and smaller Price. How much see you at the Review on Technic3D”
ECS C19-A SLI nForce4 SLI Intel Edition Motherboard Review
PCStats :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
“ECS C19-A SLI motherboard is one of these affordable nForce4 SLI XE-packing motherboards, and it’s paired with the nVidia MCP51 Southbridge. In terms of expansion, the motherboard boasts two PCI Express x16 slots for single or dual videocard configurations, two PCI Express x1 slots for higher bandwidth devices, and three 32 bit PCI slots for legacy peripherals.”
Any Good Notebook Accessories Out There?
Laptop Lifestyle :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
There are a lot of accessories to fulfill every need of your Laptop Lifestyle. Here are a few must have ones that should be with you at all times to allow you to really live mobile.
The Booq Python XL Laptop Backpack Review
Legit Reviews :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
“After looking at Booq’s line of bags and cases, we have found what we think is one of the best combinations of protection, style and overall features in the Python XL. For those of us who do quite a bit of traveling or even those of us who commute with a laptop everyday for work or for school, you will be hard-pressed to find a better laptop case on the market. Booq has done an exceptional job – some would say overkill – of giving consumers a high-end alternative to laptop carrying cases…. ”
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe review
Nordic Hardware :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Instead of a bunch of noisy fans, ASUS has opted for a heatpipe solution, leading away the heat from both the north- and southbridge to a larger heatsink right next to to CPU socket. This heatsink also cools one cluster of the power solution’s MOSFETs and due to its proximity to the CPU heatsink it gets an adequate airflow. The second cluster sits beneath another heatsink just above the CPU socket.
ASUS P5WD2-E Premium 975X Motherboard
Pro-Clockers :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Quote: Improving on the P5WD2 with the Intel 955X chipset, Asus has released the P5WD2-E Premium based on Intel’s newest chipset the 975. Asus is known the world over for producing the best Intel based motherboards. Combining stability with a lot of overclocking features made the older P5WD2 the motherboard to have with the newer Cedar Mills and Pressler processors. We will today see if the newer Premium can hold a candle to the older brother.
Seasonic Power Angel Review
Bjorn3D :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
So today we’re going to give you the scoop on what those uses are and how directly or indirectly this tool may help you not only in checking out your computer system’s power needs but also almost any electrical device you have, with certain limitations of course.
ECS KN1 SLI Extreme Motherboard Review
Hardware Secrets :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Our review on the most high-end socket 939 motherboard from ECS (i.e. targeted to Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 X2 CPUs), which is based on nForce 4 SLI.
“KN1 SLI Extreme is a high-end motherboard from ECS for socket 939 CPUs (Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX, Athlon 64 X2 and Opteron) based on nVidia nForce4 SLI chipset. This is the first SLI-based motherboard from ECS that we reviewed, so let’s see how it performed.”
FW: Building a Silent Media PC
Bjorn3D :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
High WAF-score (Wife Acceptance Factor). It has to be easy to use for both me and my wife. She’s no idiot by any means (on the contrary), but she doesn’t see any reason to have to fight the box when all she wants to do is watch TV or a DVD. I tend to agree. Tinkering with software and hardware is fun up to a certain point, but when you just want to watch that important game, the last thing you want to have to do is to have to get the machine working right. Silent. I usually don’t care that much if my main computer is noisy, but any machine in the living room has to be as silent as possible. Powerful. While I don’t intend to use my Media PC for gaming, I want it to be powerful enough to show HD-quality video. Stylish. It has to fit in the living room.
XTracPads Mouse Bungee Review
PC Modding Malaysia :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Content: “As a verdict, the Mouse Bungee really proves to be a nifty device that does just the job it was designed for: to keep the mouse cord out of the way! Price wise, well to be honest, I probably woudn’t think about parting with my money until I tried it, and now I wouldn’t want my mouse to part with this gizmo. Definitely deserves a recommended award.”
Windows Vista Ready Laptop
Laptop Gamers :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
You know something is wrong when you have to buy a new laptop just to run an operating system. The hardware specs for Windows Vista is so high that many older laptops won’t be powerful enough to run the new Microsoft OS when it becomes available this summer. Those of us in the market for a new laptop right now will want one that will allow us to upgrade to Vista later on. The question, how powerful a laptop do you need? Well, we’re going to tell you.
Singing The WiFi Blues
The Tech Zone :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Yet in weighing the options, virtually nothing is heard about the potential health risks. Saturating an entire city with WiFi adds to the existing burden of nonionizing radiation. That burden, called electrosmog by some, consists of long-term exposure to low-level concentrations of nonionizing radiation from familiar sources like radio and TV signals, electronic and electrical devices, and the ubiquitous cell phone.
The Facts About MySpace
Big Bruin :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Quote: The latest hangout for tweens and teens isn’t the mall in downtown or any particular club, but rather the chaotic world of cyberspace, at a website called MySpace.com. As the hottest social networking site on the web, MySpace has accumulated an estimated 54 million users in just three years of existence, with many users falling within the teen and twenty-something crowds and approximately 19% under the age of 17. MySpace is a wonderful place to meet others of like mind and interest, but with this sharing of interests come other dangers that are heightened by the unregulated nature of the Internet and the ready availability of personal information online.
Power Supply Tutorial
Hardware Secrets :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
“As an electrical device, the computer needs power in order for its components to operate properly. The device responsible for supplying power to the computer is the power supply. In a short way, we could say that the main function of the power supply is to convert alternating voltage (a.k.a. AC) which is supplied by the electrical power system into continuous voltage (a.k.a. DC). In other words, the power supply converts the conventional 110V or 220V alternating voltage into continuous voltage used by the PC electronic components, which are: +3,3V, +5V, +12V, -5V and -12V. The power supply is also present in the PC cooling process, facilitating the airflow inside the case.”
The Five Types of Identity Theft
Digital Grabber :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
The biggest misconception is that identity theft only affects or involves your credit. If you, too, believe that identity theft only affects or involves your credit, then you might want to keep reading. In addition to credit related identity theft, there are at least four other categories of identity theft that will not necessarily affect your credit, but can ruin your life. The following are real life stories.
MS-Tech LC-45 Case Review
Technic3d :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Quote: “The MS-Tech LC45 Case are pre-modded and have a elegantly Design. The Case shows a few of interesting features. See you at the follow Review on Technic3D””
X-Micro Mini DisGo in black
TweakTown :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Black is beautiful. So X-Micro seems to offer the Mini DisGo, a very small HDD, in black, too. Until now it was only available in silver. We got a picture.
What is Aspect Oriented Programming?
OS Weekly :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
“Most people have heard of object oriented and structural paradigms of programming. These two are generally widely used. But there are many programming problems which cannot be solved using the aforementioned structures. This results in implementation of these problems outside the main module which finally results into confusion among developers and tangled code.”
Scythe Mine Heatsink
Pro-Clockers :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Quote: Scythe has made a pretty good transition into the U.S. marketplace. By introducing some well made products like the Ninja and Katana line of heatsinks, they have made a big hit with people that are into performance or quietness. Our next product from Scythe gives you plenty of both. Utilizing a 100mm fan and a little bit out of the norm construction, the Mine maybe a cooler to reckon with.
How To Access Your Data Remotely
Digital Grabber :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
We live in and increasingly mobile society. We travel more for work, personal pleasure and in some cases we even have jobs where we are expected to work from home. Obviously there are heaps of advantages to this kind of mobile lifestyle, but there are also some challenges. The challenge we want to discuss here is maintaining consistent, secure access to your information. There are a few ways that you can get access to information from remote servers and personal computers. All of them have their advantages and disadvantages.
SilverStone Strider ST56F 560W Power Supply
Think Computers :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
CTIA Wireless 2006 Report
The Tech Zone :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
CTIA Wireless 2006 reminds us of 2001: A Space Odyssey. So much content, so much bandwidth, so much connectivity, so much B.S. The universe is out there just waiting for us. Well not really because some people don’t “have it all.”
CMU LAN 2006
Think Computers :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Quote: “Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh houses one of the nation’s top Computer Science schools—and that means plenty of gamers (and maybe geeks, too). Although this is the second LAN to ever happen on the campus, the popularity is rapidly growing and gaining recognition as time goes by. Hosted by the CMU Online Gaming Society student organization, the LAN’s entire day of non-stop gaming was a definite fun-filled 12 hours of non-stop gaming action!”
Cooler Master Centurion 534 ATX Case
PC Apex :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
“Placing optical drives in the front of the case could not be more simple. Since the drive bays are tool-less, the locks just slide in place to hold the drives in place. One of the bonuses of having a Black and Silver two toned case is that the black optical drives look very good without any modification, they help to offset the Aluminum front.”
SkyHawk GM470 and GM570 Power Supplies Review
Madshrimps :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Quote: “Today we have two interesting sub $100 power supplies from Skyhawk, rated at 470 and 570Watt, we put them through their paces on our SLI powered test system to see how they hold up”
CrystalFontz CFA-635
Techgage :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Quote: With the dearth of fan controllers and temperature monitors on the market today it’s not very often that you run across one that brings a whole lot more to the table. Today we’re taking a look at one that brings more than just fan speed control and simple temp reporting.
ELF File Format in Linux
OS Weekly :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Quote: “ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) is a standard file format for most executables, shared libraries and object codes. This format was originally developed and published by USL (Unix System Laboratory) as part of ABI (Application Binary Interface) and now it’s a widely accepted format in most UNIX variants.”
Aerocool Zerodba 620 watt Power Supply Unit Review
3dXtreme :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
When I get an email from Aerocool about a new product, it’s usually something exciting. This time around was no different. Seeing the specs on this monster of a Power Suppply Unit from Aerocool I was thrilled about getting this product in for review. A 620 Watt Power Supply that is silent, what a perfect compliment to my recently completed water cooling system! A few days later the Aerocool Zerodba was delivered and it was time to put her to the test.
Spire’s Diamondcool II Heatsink
TechTastic :: Friday, April 07, 2006
Quote: Today we take a look at a new heatsink/fan combo from Spire Coolers the Diamondcool II. The Diamondcool II was designed for low noise operation while maintaining effective cooling. To help the cooler achieve this, the unit features an all copper heatsink and uses heat pipes to help reduce CPU temperature.
Kingwin Sound Xtream Multimedia Player Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Friday, April 07, 2006
All Core Duo Models
Hardware Secrets :: Friday, April 07, 2006
“Core Duo (formerly known by its codename, Yonah) is the first dual-core Intel CPU targeted to the mobile market, i.e. inside it there are two complete CPUs. Curiously it is also the first Intel processor to be adopted by Apple Computer. In this tutorial we will present the main features of Core Duo and a table with all models released to date.”
GEIL Ultra-X nForce4 Edition PC3200 400MHz CL2 5-2-2 DDR
Think Computers :: Friday, April 07, 2006
Aqua Computer XT Complete CPU Water Cooling
SystemCooling :: Friday, April 07, 2006
snip: Sharka Computers specializes in providing quiet, high-performance cooling solutions to PC enthusiasts and offers a comprehensive line of German made Aqua Computer water cooling products. The Aqua Computer XT Complete CPU Water Cooling Kit contains everything needed to quietly water-cool the latest CPUs from Intel or AMD.
Evercool Turbo 2
techPowerUp! :: Friday, April 07, 2006
The Evercool Turbo2 is a universal GPU cooler which fits all cards from NVIDIA and ATI, including the 7800/7900 and X1800/X1900 Series. What really makes this fan stand out compared to other solutions is that it is extremely quiet while still being able to keep your card cool. Another plus is that you can find it online for a bargain $20.
Silverstone TJ08 mATX Case @ Pro-Clockers
Pro-Clockers :: Friday, April 07, 2006
Quote: I don’t think that there is anything anyone can say negative about Silverstone. The class and styling that they put into their cases reign over most others. From the first case in the Temjin family, the TJ01, to the latest, the TJ07 all are great pieces of art. Just recently Silverstone has added a new member to the family, the TJ08. The TJ08 promises to provide big things in a small case.
Sling Media Slingbox Review
Windows A to Z :: Friday, April 07, 2006
“The Sling Media Slingbox is probably one of the coolest things that we’ve ever seen for your home entertainment center. This Slingbox compresses and transfers live TV, satellite, or DVR video from your home to a computer located anywhere in the world. You can do all of this without having a PC at home running and with very minimal quality loss.”
Intel Dothan 780 Overclocking with Liquid Nitrogen (LN2)
Madshrimps :: Friday, April 07, 2006
Quote: “At -190°C you might be surprised how high you can overclock a CPU, with a few liters of Liquid Nitrogen to spare we poured it over a Pentium M 780 to see how high it would soar. Of course we don’t want to destroy our hardware so we’ll show you how to prevent condensation to save your hardware from failure”
Kingston U3 DataTraveler Flash Drive Review
Legit Reviews :: Friday, April 07, 2006
The Stupidity of Consumers
CoolTechZone :: Friday, April 07, 2006
“I mentioned Apple’s great customer support by using the latest iPod volume level patch as a supporting example. That apparently didn’t stick well with a few readers who e-mailed me expressing their anger towards consumers in general and the way companies have to protect themselves from litigations because of redundant and obvious warning labels on products. I’m inclined to agree with the select few that replied to state their opinions. It’s dramatically idiotic.”
Definition: Social Networking Services
OS Weekly :: Friday, April 07, 2006
Quote: “A social networking service is an online application specifically focused on building and verifying social networks for a specific purpose (whatever it may be). Many social networking services are also weblog hosting services. With the currently growing interest in online social networking services, social relationships in the real world are emerging in the Web and a user itself is gradually coming to play a central role in Web content. The emergence of user information from the real world into the Web has a great impact on information system.”
Apple Drops the Other Shoe and Does Windows
Designtechnica :: Friday, April 07, 2006
“A few short months ago, the thought that Apple would use Intel technology and move to Windows was viewed as insane speculation. Since then, Apple has moved to Intel, and today, with the announcement of Boot Camp, Apple appears to be starting to support Microsoft Windows. Accompanying this announcement was the statement, “we have no desire to sell or support Windows.” Of course, they have also said in the past that they wouldn’t move to Intel (because they had killed the effort to move to that platform years earlier) and that they wouldn’t build a flash-based Media Player (because it was “stupid”).”
Secure Your Wireless Network Posted!
Tech ARP :: Friday, April 07, 2006
Quote – “Many of us are hooked onto WiFi these days. But just how secure are our wireless networks?
Join jwsk as he discusses why we should beef up the security of our wireless networks and how we can do it quickly and easily! ”
Corsair TWIN2X1024-8500 Memory
Hexus :: Friday, April 07, 2006
Remember when RAM was “EDO” and “FPM” and would clock at about 66MHz? Ah, those were the days… Now, we have RAM that’s a hell of a lot faster, and an exclusive HEXUS.review.
PC8500 will enhance performance if you’re running a CPU with a 266MHz FSB. The maddest Intel-based overclockers haven’t had a reason to complain about pure bandwidth for a while now, and Corsair’s addition of the world’s first PC8500 DDR2 puts the onus back on Intel to ramp up its CPUs’ FSB.
WACOM Intuos3 6×8 tablet with USB Review
Futurelooks :: Friday, April 07, 2006
How To Crack Passwords
Digital Grabber :: Friday, April 07, 2006
One of the key components in performing a security assessment is the acquisition of user account information and cracking of the account password. There are many methods and tools that can be used to crack passwords, however, you must first retrieve the information to crack. And once again, there are many ways of acquiring the account information. This article will illustrate one method of acquiring user account information using a combination of social engineering and open source tools. We will then briefly go over a particular cracking method and tool.
Lian Li PC-S80 Case Review
AMD Review :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Quote: “Lian Li has released a new case called the PC-S80. This case looks to be another step forward in Lian Li’s process at improving air flow inside PC cases while keeping it as quiet as possible.“
SiN: Emergence Coming May 9
Modern Savant :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Straight from the press release gods, word that the first chapter in Ritual’s forthcoming episodic first-person shooter is on track for both a retail and STEAM release come May 9. Price is set at $20, for an expected 8 hours of gameplay.
Philips 190G6FB LCD Panel Review
CoolTechZone :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Thermaltake Silent Boost RX K8 Heatsink
TechTastic :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
G.SKILL F2-4200PHU2-1GBNT
techPowerUp! :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
The F2-4200PHU2-1GBNT are G.SKILL’s latest budget DDR2 memory kit. Even though they lack heatspreaders they offer excellent overclocking. Our sample would go from the advertised DDR2-4200 up to a blazing DDR2-5800. What makes this kit even more attractive is that you can tighten the timings to 3-3-2-4. All this comes at a very competitive price of only $75 for a 2×512 MB dual channel kit.
Connect3D X1800 GTO 256MB Video Card:
3dgameman :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
“With the 1600 series Video Cards at the lower end, and the 1900 series Video Cards at the high end, this is clearly a middle of the road product. This doesn’t mean the Connect3D X1800 GTO 256MB Video Card is lacking in performance though. It will comfortably play the most demanding games, and remember that it’s Crossfire ready. Price vs. Performance is very high! Watch the Video to find out more…” ~3dGameMan.com
Secure Programming in GPU/Linux Systems: Part II
OS Weekly :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Quote: “In our last article, we saw objectives of computer security and had a brief introduction on secure programming. We also delved deeply into the need of secure programming, what type of programs need secure programming and why programmers write insecure code.”
XG Viper 2 Case
Hardware Secrets :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
“XG, a division of MGE, has just launched a new all-aluminum case with a cool snakehead design, hence its name, Viper 2. We took a look on this new case from XG.”
G.Skill F1-4000BIU2-2GBHV DDR500
Bjorn3D :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Gigabyte K8U-939 review
Driver Heaven :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
“The Gigabyte K8U-939 is a socket 939 motherboard, based on the ULi M1689 chipset. It has an AGP slot instead of a PCI-E one and works with DDR RAM, so users with older socket A/478 motherboards can upgrade to it without having to upgrade their RAM and GFX as well. It also features Dual Channel DDR, can support the newest X2 Dual Core processors and 64-bit technology so it is striving to be a competitive solution for those who are thinking about upgrading without spending a fortune. The low price of the motherboard certainly adds to that, but can it compete at all with high-end motherboards in regards to performance?”
Acer AL1732 Prestige
Phoronix :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Summary: “The Acer AL1732 Prestige is certainly one of the best sub-$200 17-inch LCDs presently available on the market. Not only does it offer DVI and VGA input but it also comes equipped with an anti-reflective coating, cable management abilities, integrated speakers, and a metal stand. In addition, Acer’s Prestige lineup is a winner of the International Forum Design.”
Patriot PDC2G3500LLK 2GB PC3500 Dual Channel Kit
Bjorn3D :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Lessons Learned From The Intel Developers Forum
The Tech Zone :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
The Intel Developers Forum (IDF) is a great event to attend if you want see the industry’s (ok Intel’s) visions for tomorrow at the office…in your car…at home. After a few minutes of Pat Gelsinger’s keynote, we knew we were going to spend a lot of time on Wikipedia! ATCA, DLNA, RAS, DRM, VQM, AKE, AES and new acronyms on top of old ones.…Talk about failure of communications.
Aspire X-Discovery Midtower Case Reviee
OCIA :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
“Aspire has included the rear 120mm exhaust fan in a color that goes well with the case. The I/O shield is pretty standard and held in place with a screw. The PCI slots have break-away covers. I prefer to have a screw-on cover for each PCI slot so that I don’t have a gap in the rear of my case down the road, but this will work.”
Scythe S-Flex 120mm Quiet Fans
Pro-Clockers :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
ABIT AN8 32X SLI Motherboard Review
Legit Reviews :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Today Legit Reviews looks at the latest and greatest NVIDIA C51D Based motherboard by Universal ABIT Co., Ltd. ABIT hopes to once again capture the enthusiast market with the ABIT AN8 32X motherboard and looking at the board features it looks great on paper. Read on to see if this is the motherboard for you.
Etasis EFN-560 550W PSU Review
Technic3d :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Quote: “The PSU from Etasis works absolutly Fanless up to 300W. But also with 550W a interesting PSU.See you at the Review on Technic3D”
3D Galaxy LCS Cooler Review
Techwarelabs :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Speed Link Medusa Gamer Headset
XS Reviews :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
“As gaming becomes more of a mainstream activity, a more team co-operative and team based gaming community has evolved. Because of this more and more companies are striving to be the best at keeping us gamers in contact with each other. “Gamer Headsets” are everywhere, but some are obviously better than others. Having tested the Steel Series 5h headset a couple of months ago I thought I had found a headset I could safely say was MY headset, that was until I was sent the Medusa 5.1 surround sound headset from SpeedLink.”
Thermaltake Silent Boost RX K8 CPU Cooler Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Quote: “If Thermaltake fixes the problem area with the screws, I’d have no problem suggesting it. Better than stock cooling, quiet operation, and unique looks are good, the easy to use clip is just excellent. I’d keep an eye out for any 2nd generation RX K8 coolers.”
Is Linux-Like Environment for Windows Really Required?
OS Weekly :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
“Ever tried this query in Google: “Linux-like environment for windows” with inverted commas? If you have, it gives exactly 13,700 results (at the time of publishing). Now try the same other way around. Google “Windows environment for linux” but don’t use the quotes from previous query. It yields approximately 1,150 results. This clearly shows that there are numerous applications that simulate a Linux environment on Windows and vice versa. But are all these applications really required?”
Top Online Clothing Stores
Designtechnica :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Silentmaxx Fanless 400W ATX PSU
Pro-Clockers :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Quote: Believe it or not there are plenty of computer users that are not into extreme overclocking or really don’t need or want to run high end dual GPU setups. Maybe that computer user just wants a very stable and quiet system. And one of those components that contribute to stability and quietness is the power supply. In the quest for those two characteristics, Dave of QuietPC was generous enough to send over one of their Silentmaxx Fanless 400 watt power supply.
Thecus N2050 DAS Appliance
Hexus :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
The N2050 could be described most simply as a external SATA device which also has a SATA to USB bridge. It’s a little more complex than that, however, as it’s also a RAID device. So, inside there are two SATA 3Gbps channels, connected to a storage processor, charged with creating a RAID-0 or RAID-1 array from two attached drives. It is this RAID entity that is then presented via the eSATA or USB interface. Clever, eh?
Corsair 2GB XMS2 PC2-6400 PRO
Techgage :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Quote: If you are seeking out a new DDR2 kit, then make sure it’s at least 2GB! The 6400PRO from Corsair boasts the fast speed of DDR2-800 with timings of 5-5-5. Best of all though, it rolls in at 2GB and includes some purdy LED’s!
All Pentium D Models
Hardware Secrets :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
“Pentium D is a dual-core version of Pentium 4. Pentium D CPUs can be found using two different core versions: Smithfield and Presler. In this tutorial we will talk about these two core versions and we will also list all Pentium D models released to date.”
Ultra Products Aluminus ATX Case
Big Bruin :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Quote: Another great feature of the Aluminus is the removable motherboard tray. Two thumb screws on the right side of the tray hold it in place. Remove the screws and slide the tray toward front of case and it pops right out for easy installation of the motherboard. Mounting the motherboard was a joy… the stand offs were already in place and in this case even mounted in the correct spots.
Western Digital Raptor X SATA Hard Drive Review
Futurelooks :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
The Western Digital RAPTOR series of drives are fantastic products. But it started to get a bit long in the tooth. Can Western Digital top themselves once again with the new RAPTOR series? We check out the new RAPTOR X to find out!
Tourist Trophy Event Coverage
Bytesector :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Highpoint RocketRAID 2320 – Servers go SATA PCI-E
TweakTown :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
QUOTE: “Highpoint have done a fantastic job with the RocketRAID 2320 controller card. Its small size, high bandwidth makes it not only the best server solution Mass Storage controller available, but for the home users who want massive storage possibilities, this card along with a board supporting PCI Express x4, you can make yourself a comfortable high density RAID setup.”
Intel Pentium Processor 965 Extreme Edition Review
Legit Reviews :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
“The Intel Pentium Processor 965 was a joy to work with. For those who can afford one we highly suggest picking one up as every enthusiast has to see what these are all about. With the 955 moving over to the new stepping there really is no difference between the 955 and the 965 processor. Both are based off the same core and eventually the same stepping once the old 955 processors move off the shelves. Since most of the buyers of the Extreme Edition series are overclockers we’d suggest…”
Top 6 Web Browsers
Designtechnica :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
“The Internet holds a vast amount of information just waiting to be read. However, in order to view the web and capture it in its best form you’ll need a web browser that meets your expectations. A great web browser should incorporate support for plug-ins, have evolving standards, and be easy to use. This guide will cover the mainstream browsers available for the public to choose from. Whether you enjoy using an open-source browser such as Firefox or having the wide support of Internet Explorer, you’ll always be going to the same Internet you know and love.”
Kingwin Big Air AMD Cpu Cooler Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Xitel HiFi-Link for iPod Review
Futurelooks :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Extending the Operating System
OS Weekly :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Quote: “As we all know, operating system is an essential part of any computer system, but what most of us don’t understand are the intricacies of how OS environments operate. This article discusses the ways of extending the operating system by various ways including, but not limited to, recompiling the kernel and managing libraries. Extensibility is the need of time. It gives the user more “power” over the machine, since every user can have his “personalized” copy of the OS. This approach of extending the operating system at user level is more advantageous than other methods.”
AData FingerPrint Disk
t-break :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
To put it in simple words- it’s a USB drive with finger print recognition for keeping your data safe and is available in capacities from 256MB to 2GB . The FingerPrint Disk comes in an iPod white color and measures 66x24mm- pretty much the size of a standard USB drive. The sweep type sensor uses the latest bio-verification technology and allows you scan ten fingers/thumbs in total which allows it to be used by a group of people
OCZ EL DDR PC-4000 XTC Platinum 2GB
Overclockers Online :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Quote: The performance of the OCZ EL Platinum XTC modules is very good for the frequencies that it was able to run at. Not only are the primary timings of 3-3-3-8 very impressive at these speeds but the secondary timings were quite tight providing some very exciting SuperPi times and synthetic bandwidth numbers. Benchmarkers and gamers alike will definitely want to check these modules out when shopping for high performance 2GB memory kits.
Foxconn Winfast NFPIK8AA Review
Ninjalane :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Quote: It’s a proven fact that 90% of all enthusiast computer hardware is designed with really one purpose in mind, gaming. However it doesn’t always have to be that way, in fact aside from overclocking and various BIOS and/or board level modifications enthusiast hardware can be considered just about anything, including the original high performance system, the workstation.
Keysonic Keyboards and Warp Laser Mouse Review on Technic3D
Technic3d :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Quote: “As itself the devices under Office and plays work satisfactorily see you in the following Reviw on Technic3D ”
Antec Studio Take 4
Phoronix :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Top 3 GPU Water Blocks Square Off
3dXtreme :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Dell Ultrasharp 2405FPW 24-inch Wide-Aspect LCD Review
Short-Media :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Quote: The overall picture can only be described as amazing. We all know how much trouble TFTs can have displaying the color black, but that is not the case with the 2405. The black tones are deep and strong and the colors are vivid and vibrant. My BFG 6800 Ultra OC was easily able to give this large LCD all it needed to perform at its best. Some of Dell’s older LCDs had problems with back lighting, but, again, this is not the case with the 2405. Dell has definitely corrected that problem here. LCD quality control is obviously doing their job correctly as well, because I have yet to find a dead pixel either.
Perpendicular Hard Disk Drives
BTX FormFactor :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Quote: Hard Disk Drives store all our most valuable data, our contacts, email, family photos and the like, but increasingly space is getting cramped in drives… Perpendicular Hard Disk Drives aim to stem the theoretical limit of disk capacity, and this article aims to explain how and why.
Athlon 64 X2 3800+ CPU Overclocking
3dgameman :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
“Need a bang for the buck AMD X2 Processor? Well, check out the new X2 3800+ CPU if you are interested in overclocking. The new X2 dual-core processors are all the rage and there’s no wonder, they are fast. So are most of the new 2006 models highly overclockable? Well, I decided to check out the 3800+ model to see and was pleasantly surprised…” ~3dGameMan.com
Oblivion Tweak Guide
TweakTown :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
After a lot of testing and tweaking, my 13-page Oblivion Tweak Guide has finally been completed. My main aim in writing this guide was to sort out the fact from fiction by personally testing all the .ini file options and performance tweaks floating around and document only the safe, working ones; to accurately describe all the in-game settings correctly; and draw together all the available sources of optimization and troubleshooting information into a single reference source which will remain up to date as we find out more about this amazing game. There are no ‘magic’ tweaks which instanly double your FPS, but I genuinely believe that if you go through and follow the advice in the guide, your Oblivion experience will improve.
ABIT AN8-32X nForce4 SLI x16 Motherboard Review
PCStats :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
ABIT’s back and it’s getting ready to give DFI, ASUS, MSI and Gigabyte a serious run for the money. It’s newest flagship Athlon64 motherboard is the ABIT AN8 32X, based upon the nForce4 SLI x16 chipset (nVidia C51D and CK804 SLI). As you know, the nForce4 SLI x16 chipset allows two nVIDIA PCI Express videocards to run in SLI mode with each card receiving the full 16 PCI Express lanes. There is no bandwidth sharing between SLI videocards with this particular nForce chipset.
Increase Performance Without Upgrading
Laptop Gamers :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
It seems that the longer you own your computer, the slower it gets! It isn’t getting slower just because it is older. Read the following article to learn how to speed up your computer without upgrading the hardware.
EPoX EP-9NPA+ SLI AMD Athlon 64 Socket 939 PCIe motherboard Review
OCInside.de :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
The EPoX 9NPA+ SLI Socket 939 PCI express motherboard offers in addition to the two 16x PCIe SLI video card slots even three PCI card slots. And in spite of the original chipset voltage this board was overclocked to a HT reference clock of 330 MHz, so also processors with locked multiplier are able to reach a real good frequency. There’re many reasons why this EPoX motherboard got the www.ocinside.de OverClocking Dream Award, so you shouldn’t miss out on.
Thermaltake Tide Water Plus Dual VGA Water Cooling Kit Review
PC Modding Malaysia :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Content: “All in all, the Tide Water Plus water cooling solution is yet another ingenious dual GPU cooling solution by Thermaltake. The all in one unit comes pre-assembled with integrated copper radiator, pump, reservoir and an adjustable blower. We were also impressed to see that Thermaltake used premium quality components to build the unit and the system requires zero maintenance for the first 417 days, which means you’ll probably upgrade your graphics cards even before refilling the water cooling unit. The package was also complete and the cooler supports a wide range of graphics card including the latest from ATi and NVIDIA.”
HighSpeedPC Tech Station
The Tech Lounge :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
“HighSpeedPC’s Tech Station is billed as the perfect workstation for computer hobbyists, overclockers, IT professionals, and even PC shops. Over the last few months Nick has used the Tech Station as the base for a dedicated test rig – a computer that is constantly having parts swapped for various reviews. After three months of testing, we’ve come away with some good experiences, and some not so good.”
Seagate Technologies 8 GB Compact Flash Photo Storage Micro Hard Drive Review
Futurelooks :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Sitting in a beautiful brand new plastic blister package was an 8 gigabyte compact flash compatible photo storage micro hard drive from Seagate Technologies. I thought it was a typo as I had never seen an 8 gigabyte compact flash compatible micro hard drive card before. Does size matter? Let’s find out!
GeIL 2GB PC2-8000 Value
Techgage :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Quote: So you think you have fast DDR2? Then you better check out the GeIL PC2-8000, which happens to be the fastest we’ve ever seen, and the benchmarks prove it! It’s also probably the most expensive ‘value’ ram you will set your eyes on, but is it worth the cash for the ultimate performance?
PCApex Review // Lian-Li PC-G50 ATX Mid Tower Case
PC Apex :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
“Well under two feet tall and deep the G50 is certainly not a large case, but it’s not a SFF (small form factor) case either. Power users won’t find this case appealing for a host of reasons other than space alone, but the average user will find plenty of room for their gear in the G50. About the only thing you won’t have room for in the G50 is a floppy drive. Dropping the archaic floppy drive is something I expect to see more of in future case design.”
Interview with Seagate’s Joni Clark
Sharky Extreme :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Today on Sharky Extreme, we’ve posted an Interview with Seagate Technology’s PC/Mobile Product Marketing Manager Joni Clark, who answers questions about the recent merger with Maxtor, the future of notebook drives, the potential for 10K Seagate enthusiast SATA drives, Seagate’s role in perpendicular technology, and much more!
SilverStone Sugo Pack
Phoronix :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
SLAX Server Edition v5.0.8
Phoronix :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Summary: “SLAX, the Linux LiveCD distribution that is known for its compact size and based upon Slackware, has reached version 5.0.8. In addition to the host of other variants – Standard, KillBill, Popcorn, and Frodo – the new special version to come out is a server edition. This new SLAX v5.0.8 Server provides support for DNS, DHCP, HTTP, FTP, MySQL, SMTP, POP3, IMAP, and SSH – all on a LiveCD weighing in at a mere 184MB. In addition, the server edition continues to ship with KDE v3.5.0 and it now uses the Linux 2.6.16 kernel. In addition to this new sever option, SLAX 5.0.8 features several new improvements and various fixes. SLAX is certainly one of the best light-weight KDE Linux distributions available.”
How To Make WinXP Shut Down Faster
Laptop Gamers :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
The more that is running on your computer the more your computer has to close on shut down. Keeping a slimmer running computer will not only make your computer run faster but it will make Windows shutdown faster. Here is how it’s done:
Go to the Start menu and then select Run. Type ‘services.msc’ in the Run Dialog Box and click on OK. In the services window double click on the service you wish to disable. In the properties box for the selected service choose disabled in the Startup Type dropdown box. Click on OK.
i-PHONO Plus Bluetooth Stereo Headphone Review
Blue Tomorrow :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Quote: Bluetake, the maker of the award-winning i-PHONO mini Bluetooth Stereo Headphone, recently sent us another pair of Bluetooth stereo headphones. Bluetake’s i-PHONO PLUS Bluetooth Stereo Headphone (BT420Rx) is designed for the active lifestyle with its sporty ergonomic design.
Tt Blue Orb II Cooler Review
Overclocker Café :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Thermaltake has another successful product on their hands with the Blue Orb II. The blue color of the cooling fins with the blue LED in the fan makes for a spectacular sight. The cooling efficiency of the Blue Orb II is amazing as well, running on average of 11 degrees Celsius cooler than the Stock Intel cooler. To top it all off, there is very little noise produced by the fan while it’s running.
BFR Inside of Mortal Kombat – The art of using a Bluescreen
Bona Fide Reviews :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Quote: We at BFR recently came across a blue screen and decided to have some fun with it. First we’ll show you the video we created and then we will show you how we did it so you too can create interesting videos. It’s a lot easier than you may think. Image:
ADS Tech Instant TV For Notebooks Review
The Tech Zone :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
LinkStation Network Storage Center
Digital Grabber :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
ECS KA1 MVP Overclocking Update
Tech ARP :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Quote: The KA1 MVP has turned itself into one very overclocking friendly board. While we first struggled to achieve 280HTT, one little BIOS update skyrocketed us through the 300 barrier. How far did we go? Scroll to the end of the page to find out!
Geil Value Dual Channel 1gb Kit Review
XS Reviews :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Windows to Ubuntu Transition Guide
PC Mechanic :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Alright, so you have successfully installed Ubuntu Linux, but now what do you do with it? You are in the right place. I am going to get you started with a guide on how to use your new Ubuntu system. This transition guide is targeted at existing Windows users and will show you how to do program installations, a little system configuration, but primarily highlight some Windows “replacement” programs for common applications you can’t live without.
Thermaltake Armor VA8000BWS Case Review
Bjorn3D :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
For the sake of this article, let’s just say you’re looking for an ATX (with BTX compatibility), server-like case with lots and lots of room inside. Narrowing your search, you want a lot of fans (great if they were featuring blue LED too), tool-free assembly, side window and at least 8 x 5,25′ drive bays, but you don’t want it to be too expensive.
Heck, I have just that and even more! In our lab today, I have Thermaltake’s Armor steel chassis for your reading and viewing pleasure. Some will say, ‘Steel sucks; it’s too heavy or warms up too quickly.’ You’re correct, but only partially. First things first, so let’s start from the beginning.
Unitek-Colors-IT Atrix A9001 Case Review Review
Technic3d :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Quote: “The Atrix A9001 ATX Case from Unitek-Colors-IT are easily pre-modded and shows a few of interesting features. See you at the follow Review on Technic3D”
Ask Abit……
Driver Heaven :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Driverheaven will be touring Abit’s headquarters in Taipei Taiwan during the upcoming weeks. We will also be having a Q and A session with Mr. Peter du Preez the content editor and marketing manager at the Taipei headquarters. If you wish to ask Abit a question please post in this thread on our forums – and we will include those we feel most relevant in our Q and A session. We value our membership input !
PC Club Empower Media Center Xpress EN-MX1 PC
Designtechnica :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
“PC Club is known for their brick and mortar stores rather than having a large online presence, but that could be changing. With more than 40 stores in 5 Western States, you might have seen one while you were out and about. Their website has an extensive catalog list including complete desktop PC’s. Their new Empower Xpress EN-MX1 Media Center PC has made its way into our labs and we get a chance to see what a $900 custom built PC gets you versus your typical large chain store system or online etailer like Dell.”
Vizo Luxon Hard Drive Enclosure
Think Computers :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Titan GT3 Aluminium Notebook cooler
Driver Heaven :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
We recently reviewed a number of products from the cooling giant Titan, ranging from the Vanessa series CPU coolers and Serina notebook coolers. Now we have had a look at another Laptop cooler; the Titan G3T Aluminium notebook cooling pad.
Abit AN8 32X Motherboard
Pro-Clockers :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Quote: Over the past several ages Abit has been making history with some of their motherboards. The likes of the classic BH-6 help to start the overclocking movement coupled with an Intel 300A processor. Next, came the NF7 and the AMD mobile 2500+, that a lot of people, believe it or not are still running this setup. And one of the last great motherboard to come from the Abit stable is the IC7 MAX3. Today, we have what could be the next big board from Abit, the AN8 32X.
Swiftech APOGEE Universal CPU Waterblock
PC Apex :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
“When Swiftech acquired Stew Forster’s design for the Storm cpu block, they immediately had a very high performance block in their stable. But at a cost, the Storm is a rather expensive block to manufacture with all the intricate machining required. The average price is still around $80 and can be found listed as high as $129 (ack!). The Storm also requires a more expensive pump to operate at peak efficiency. Plus, impingement style blocks such as the Storm are not always the best choice for use with multiple block applications. In an effort to cut costs and still produce a block that could cool the current crop of larger die and dual core processors, Swiftech developed the Apogee.”
Kingston HyperX PC2-7200
Bytesector :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
“Kingston has been quietly developing memory in a back room somewhere and has now launched DDR2 memory with speeds up to 900MHz. This must be pretty amazing for a company that is known for their ValueRAM line to those who aren’t hardware enthusiasts. Usually when I think of memory, it’s usually OCZ or Corsair that come to mind, but today, I had the opportunity to take a look at Kingston’s PC2-7200 2GB memory kit and I must say, they are offering performance that the competition hasn’t yet been able to touch. With more than 8GB/s of buffered bandwidth and 6.6GB/s of unbuffered bandwidth, this memory definately proved to be what we all expected from DDR2 memory!”
Music Porter X Cell Phone
CoolTechZone :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
“With a name like that, this music-playing phone sounds like it should be in a soldier’s standard issue arsenal. And judging by the appearance of this 3G-enabled phone, that’s what seems to have been intended.”
Wolfking Warrior & Timber Wolf
TechFEAR :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Summary: “One of our staff members found it increasingly difficult to return to FPS gaming on a traditional keyboard the longer she used the Warrior and Timber Wolf products. This is a subjective opinion, but it’s a true testament to the design of the layout.”
Enermax Noisetaker II 701AX 600W Power Supply Review
3dgameman :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
The Noisetaker II 701AX 600W Power Supply has everything you would expect from an Enermax product. It offers quality reliable power and it’s stable. These are things everyone wants from a Power Supply. More often then not people go for a cheap Power Supply solution and this is not a wise decision. A Power Supply is a vital part of any computer system, especially for today’s demanding Personal Computers. This product is well suited for the gaming enthusiast to workstation servers…” ~3dGameman.com
Spire VertiCool II & DiamondCool II Review
OCIA :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
“As I noted before, the DiamondCool is constructed primarily of copper. It has 55 micro (0.40mm) fins soldered to a very thick base (8.5mm). It uses four copper heat pipes to help draw the heat away from the base and transfer it to the copper fins above. In theory this should work very well, but the proof is in the testing.”
Freecom DVB-T USB Stick Review
DV Hardware :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Connect3D X1900XT 512MB Video Card:
3dgameman :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
“If you wish to play the latest games with all the eye candy enabled on a widescreen display, a very fast Video Card is required. The Connect3D X1900 XT 512MB GDDRIII with dual DVI-I and VIVO is just that card. It loaded with the technologies and 512MB of GDDR3 memory gives this card a clear advantage. In a single configuration it’s hardcore enough, but for the gamer that needs the fastest setup, it is also Crossfire ready. This is one product that can handle any graphically demanding game. Watch the Video to find out more…” ~3dGameMan.com
Spire VertiCool II Heatsink @ Viper Lair
ViperLair :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
“Heatpipe technology has come a long way, The very first review I ever wrote was for a heatpipe based cooler and I remember thinking, “Man, this will never get off the ground” This was back in the day of big, solid copper heatsinks like the SLK 800 being the dominant force in air based cooling solutions. These days just about every high end heatsink is built around heatpipe technology. ”
Kingston HyperX DDR2 900 2GB-Kit Review
Technic3d :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Quote: “Over 9000 MB/s with Intel 955EE, Gigabyte G1-Turbo and the Kingston HyperX DDR2900? See you in the follow Review on Technic3D”
March High-end Buyer’s Guide
Sharky Extreme :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Today on Sharky Extreme, we’ve posted the March edition of our High-end Gaming PC Buyer’s Guide, which takes $2500 in search of the top AMD and Intel gaming systems:
Thermaltake BigWater SE + Volcano 4005
Phoronix :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Spire Zoom Laptop Backpack
Think Computers :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Kingwin Supernova HTPC Enclosure Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
NYKO’S INTELLIGENT REMOTE 360 AND INTERCOOLER 360 AVAILABLE NOW
Game Industry Biz :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – March 28, 2006 – Nyko Technologies® has shipped its highly-anticipated Xbox 360® accessory line-up; the Intelligent Remote 360, a universal smart remote for the home entertainment center, and Intercooler 360, a compact, snap-on cooling device for the Xbox 360 console. Xbox 360 owners can fully immerse themselves in the next generation of gaming with Nyko’s stylish and practical options for the Xbox 360.
Xbox 360 accessories include:
Intercooler 360 – a high efficiency, snap-on cooling device that uses three fans to dramatically increase air flow out of the 360. The Intercooler 360 reduces heat throughout the Xbox 360, promoting extended life and reliability of the components contained within. The compact, cooling device snaps onto the back of the console, fits in entertainment centers with the 360 in a horizontal or vertical position, and turns on and off automatically in conjunction with the 360.
Intelligent Remote 360 – a sleek, learning remote with back-lit buttons that allows users to control their Xbox 360 and television with the same device.
VF900-Cu vs. Fatal1ty FS-V7 vs. ZM80C-HP
Techgage :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Quote: When you want to stick to AIR cooling, you have an intense decision to make. There is far too much choice! We are taking a look at three great coolers from Zalman and pit them against each other to see which one comes out on top.
Vivendi VP warns over future of Original Xbox at retail
Game Industry Biz :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Adam Roberts, executive VP of Vivendi Europe, has told GamesIndustry.biz that while the PS2 is not yet nearing the end of its life cycle, Microsoft must work with publishers to restore retail confidence in the Xbox.
In an exclusive interview, Roberts said: “I think Xbox probably needs help at the moment. We’re in discussions with Microsoft to help generate some impetus.” “I think it’s going to be a retail-led decision – if retailers lose confidence in a format, then it’s very difficult to get that confidence back,” he continued. “A retailer is there to sell what people will buy, and there’s no benefit to anyone to have product on the shelves that doesn’t sell. Really it’s up to us, in conjunction with other publishers and Microsoft, to keep the retailers’ confidence in the Xbox as a business opportunity.”
Possible Spam: Overclockers Online & Cooler Master Contest!
Overclockers Online :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
For the month of April, we’re giving away two (2) CoolDrive Lites courtesy of CoolerMaster USA! For anyone using those smoking hot WD Raptor drives, you’ll definitely want to get in on this contest. Heck, any hard drive can take advantage of this great product!
Patriot PDC22G8000+XBLK PC2-8000 DDR2 Memory Review
PCStats :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
” What sets this pair of PC2-8000 DDR2 memory apart from the competition is that it’s capable of three different frequency & timings settings. Patriot Memory’s PDC22G8000+XBLK DDR-2 is rated for a CAS Latency of 3 at DDR2-667 speeds, CAS 4 at DDR2-800 speeds, and to reach DDR2-1000 speeds a CAS Latency of 5. This pair of RAM is so utterly new, so bleeding edge that you can’t get them yet… so consider this your sneak peak! ”
Thermaltake Silent Boost RX K8
3dXtreme :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Quote: When silent is golden, the options that we have to cool our processors and video cards are becoming more and more numerous. No matter the performance level there is something out there for you. If you are looking to overclock the mess out of your CPU have can have the Big Typhoon. If you want to just have a small cooler to use for a HTPC or something like that you can get our next product up for review, the Silent Boost RX K8 from Thermaltake.
OCZ PC-4000 2GB Platinum XTC Memory
OCIA :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Corsair 2048MB-TWINX4000PT Review @ PC Modding Malaysia
PC Modding Malaysia :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Content: “Overall the Corsair TWINX2048-4000PT is a decent high capacity DDR SDRAM DIMM. Although the 2 GBytes capacity doesn’t show much improvement from the 1 GBytes capacity during our testing, but sooner or later the 2 Gbytes memory is a must when especially for hardcore gaming such as Battlefield 2 or running the yet to be released Window Vista. The price for 2 Gbtyes Corsair TWINX2048-4000PT is not that expensive, just around USD220 (RM820) so most of us should able to afford it.”
XCM 360 Pack 3/ XCM 360 Limited Edition Delux Chrome Faceplate
Team Xbox :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Due to the high demand of our XCM 360 Limited Edition Delux Chrome Faceplate, we have sold out of our first production run. But don’t worry, our second production run is in progress right now. We are working hard to bring out more of these beautiful faceplates!!! (The 2nd picture is a sneak preview of our FULL BLACK KNIGHT XCM 360 Case. ENJOY!!!) The first batch is being shipped to our official resellers this week and early next week. Check with your local official reseller.
XCM 360 Limited Edition Delux Chrome Faceplate
In other news we are launching our XCM 360 Pack 3. This pack has the following exciting colours:
1) Platinum/Gold
2) Black Knight (sneak peak to our FULL Black Knight case)
3) Metallic Blue
4) Metallic Green
HEC Power Supply – An inside look of a PSU manufacturer
Madshrimps :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Quote: “HEC/Compucase is a major OEM power supply and case manufacturer. Its business partners include Toshiba, Hitachi, LG Electronics and some of the well known brands in the PC enthusiasts market. In my last business trip to Southern China, HEC sent me an invitation to tour their plant located in Shenzhen, China.”
Viewsonic VX924 review
Nordic Hardware :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
ViewSonic has been one of the leading LCD monitor manufacturers on the market the last year or so, mainly because of its fast LCD-panels. “The battle for the fastest LCD”, which we’ve reported on at numerous accounts here at NordicHardware has grown to almost ridiculous proportions, but the question is how much truth there is behind these hyped specifications.
Seagate 160GB Momentus 5400.3 Hard Drive Review Posted!
Tech ARP :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
“Is your notebook hard drive feeling cramped? Is 40GB too little for your use? Then consider upgrading to a bigger hard drive!
Thanks to perpendicular recording technology, you can now buy a 160GB hard drive like the new Seagate Momentus 5400.3! Let’s take a look! ”
Crucial 2GB Secure Digital Flash Memory
Techniz.co.uk :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
The SD card’s nimble, portable data transfer and low battery consumption makes it ideal for high-speed digital cameras, camcorders, MP3s, cell phones, PDAs, and global positioning systems. Interface options include an SD interface or a serial peripheral interface.””
CoolDrive Lite review
Driver Heaven :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
“Today we are looking at a hard drive cooling device from Cooler Master. The enclosure is all aluminum and the base serves as a heatsink. Cooler Master even included a thermal pad that covers the exposed circuit board on the underside of your hard drive, for increased cooling and sounds dampening. The CoolDrive Lite is supposed to be able to reduce your hard drive temps by up to as much as 41%.”
MSI K8N Diamond Plus Motherboard Review
Hardware Secrets :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
“K8N Diamond Plus is the latest model in the high-end Diamond series from MSI, based on nVidia nForce 4 SLI X16 chipset and supporting all socket 939 processors released to date (Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX, Athlon 64 X2 and Opteron), having an excellent audio system using a vacuum tube-based pre-amplifier. In this review we will deeply analyze this new MSI release.”
ASRock 939SLI32-eSATA2
Phoronix :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Interview: The 7th Serpent
Primo Tech :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
The 7th Serpent is an ambitious total conversion mod for Max Payne 2. It features impressive production values, including a score by the composer from the show ALIAS, and an episodic storyline. We spoke with lead designer Diego Jimenez about the 7th Serpent and the current state of the mod community. Download links for the mod and trailer are included.
Linspire v5.1.365 Beta Italiano
Phoronix :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
XG Duro 900 Power Supply
Hardware Secrets :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
“XG, a division of MGE, brings its latest hi-power power supply unit: Duro 900. With an amazing 900 W nominal power, Duro 900 also presents four independent 12 V rails (i.e. four separated circuits to produce its 12 V outputs), a feature we’ve never seen before. We took a preliminary look on its new powerhorse from XG, internally called PSDR-900.”
Tt Tai Chi M and M2 Accessory Review
Overclocker Café :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
The Overclocker Cafe’ has posted a review of two items from Thermaltake’s new Tai Chi accessory line up; the Tai Chi M Notebook Cooler and Tai Chi M2 Mousepad. Both products are of aluminum construction and colored in contrasting silver and black color schemes. The two match so well you almost wonder why the two aren’t packaged together. Looks like the report card showed a few misses but overall pretty good. Here’s a snip from this two in one review over at the OC Cafe.
Regardless, we are left with a very fine product that far exceeds the offerings of most all other notebook coolers available. Add in the matching silver/black of the Tai Chi M2 Mousepad and you really have a winning combination of both aesthetics, function and performance. Something that is very easy for us to recommend to you.
Arctic Cooling Accelero X1 Review
PC Modding Malaysia :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 3100 at Modders-Inc.com
Modders Inc. :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Summary: Logitech has pushed the Keyboard and Mouse combination to a higher level with the MX3100.What makes Logitech continue to advance their input devices, Brand Loyalty. They know that once you use a Logitech mouse or keyboard you will never buy another brand.
Corepad Mousing Products Review @ FastLaneHW.com
FastLaneHW :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Bluetake BT510 Bluetooth Mini Mouse Review
Blue Tomorrow :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: “If you own a laptop computer, you know how irritating not having a mouse can be. The built in mouse on most laptops can significantly hinder performance especially for those who rely on their laptop everyday. Even a wired mouse can be very cumbersome. Luckily, wireless technology has really advanced over the past few years and most new mobile devices are being equipped with Bluetooth technology. The BT510 Mini Mouse is a perfect example of this.”
Logitech QuickCam Fusion
eXtreme Hardware :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Logitech Harmony 360 LCD Remote Control Review
The Tech Lounge :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
MobiBLU B153 MP3 Player
CoolTechZone :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Sony Ericsson W900i
PC Mechanic :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
The third walkman Handy the Sony W900i wants to be as succesfull as the the other 3 million sold mobile solutions. The chances are very good because this is the first walkman mobile which supports umts. Also you can store a lot on the mobile because you have almost half a gigabyte. If the full equipment can equalize the huge size, clarifies our test. Enjoy!
Nokia N90 Review
Designtechnica :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
” Cell phones that double as cameras are the James Carville/Mary Matalin of the tech world, a mismatched marriage that seems to work. But thanks to poor ergonomics, plastic lenses, and low resolution chips, cell cams aren’t good for much more than casual snaps in bright light. Nokia has taken a couple of steps in the right direction toward a true merging of the two disparate gadgets with its N90.”
The Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks:
OCModshop :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
http://www.pdatoday.com/index.php/weblog/comments/logitech_quickcam_for_notebooks_pro/
Logitech V400 “Dual Laser Core” Mouse Review
Everything USB :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Apple iPod Hi-Fi Speakers Review
CoolTechZone :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Samsung MM-A920 Mobile Phone
OCModshop :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“Instead of playing with new form factors and radical designs, Samsung has simply adjusted the tried-and- true clamshell form factor to incorporate a 1.3 megapixel camera and an MP3 player into its MM- A920, available for Sprint’s PowerVision EV-DO network. ”
Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5000 Laser Review
Technic3d :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Quote: “whether the Logitech MX5000 under Office and Games works satisfactorily see you in the following Reviw on Technic3D ”
Corsair 1GB Voyager USB Flash Drive Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Linksys SPA-941 Business IP Phone Review
Techwarelabs :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
“Sipura was one of the first manufacturers to make a name for themselves in the VoIP arena. Sipura’s analog telephone adapters (ATA) helped put Sipura on the map. Sipura’s first foray into an actual phone (the SPA-841) was met with a lukewarm reaction. Shortly after the 841 was released, Cisco-owned Linksys, who was already licensing much of Sipura’s technology, took a big jump into the game by purchasing Sipura. With the rebranding of the Sipura products we have been waiting to see what would come out next. The time has finally come it was worth the wait.”
SteelPad QcK+ Mouse Mat
XS Reviews :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
“SteelSeries offer a number of solutions to your mouse pad needs, including several cloth and hard topped mats. The QcK range goes from mini to the QcK+ which, according to the SteelSeries website, is the ‘The limousine of cloth mouse pads’. Let’s see if it lives up to this accolade.”
Kodak V570 Digital Camera Review
CoolTechZone :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Apple Mac mini Dual Core 1.66GHz Review
Designtechnica :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
“The Mac Mini is the Bruce Lee of the computing world – small frame, incredibly fit, lightning fast and able to take on any sized opponent with unflinching confidence.”
Apple Preps 5GB, 10GB iPod Nano?
CoolTechZone :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
“While traveling through the electronics market, we were rather amused to find a huge board touting 5GB and 10GB iPod Nano MP3 players. Our smile faded quickly when we noticed the “Apple Authorized Reseller” sticker on the store.”
Casio Exilim EX-S600 Camera Review
Designtechnica :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
SteelPad 5L Mouse Pad Review Posted!
Tech ARP :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
“If size matters to you, then this is a mouse pad you MUST check out. It’s huge, it has 5 layers and it’s called the SteelPad 5L! ”
Bluetake i-Phono Plus Headphones and BT007Ex Bluetooth EDR USB Adapter
Think Computers :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard Review
3dXtreme :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Samsung YP-Z5 4GB Review
Everything USB :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Hi, we just reviewed the latest Samsung YP-Z5 4GB, supposedly the final answer to the iPod nano 4G. The new flash player on the market has the markings of iPod Killer written all over it. Again. But could it be for real this time? Samsung, the chief flash supplier for Apple’s iPod nano can deliver the same 4GB of flash memory for the same $249. Paul Mercer, the man behind the iPod’s oh-so-praised interface is the one who designed the interface for the YP-Z5. Fierce competition indeed. Read on to see how this new contender fairs against the reigning champion.
Nikon Coolpix L1 6.2MP Camera
Techgage :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Quote: If you are looking for an entry level camera, is the L1 a good choice? The camera has it’s share of problems, but does the great picture quality make up for it’s other issues?
Corepad Victory & Deskpad XXXL Mousepad Review
GruntvillE :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
“I am, at best, a mediocre FPS player. My 13 year old son, David, regularly waxes my… Err, butt. That is changing since I have acquired the Deskpad XXXL. Cranking down the mouse sensitivity and using the size of the pad has eliminated the dreaded overcorrection/overshoot problem I was having with the smaller pads. It has allowed me to go from being waxed to at least breaking even. Who knows? With a month or so of playing 4-5 hour stints on Halo and Half Life I may actually be as good as I think. ”
Why High-End Audio Matters
Designtechnica :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“If you work for the audio industry—or just write about it, as I do—these are disturbing times. Here’s the good news: Sales of audio products grew by 29 percent last year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Now here’s the bad news: Component audio sales actually fell by 16 percent. The growth in sales was driven almost entirely by portables, led by the skyrocketing iPod. Why is that bad news for an audiophile? Because high-end audio—the good stuff—is a subset of component audio, not portable audio. As the high- end market has withered, a whole generation has grown up without knowing what the good stuff sounds like. CEA reports that 56 percent of consumers “say they have never even heard what they’d consider a great sounding audio system.””
How To Convert VHS Tapes Into DVDs – Part 1
Hardware Secrets :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“Let’s face it: VHS is dead. The problem is that a lot of people still have a huge VHS collection, including all sort of personal mementos like birthday parties, weddings, Christmas, Bar Mitzvahs, trips – you name it. With a PC with a DVD burner, a video capture card (or a video card with VIVO function) and a VCR you can convert all your VHS tapes in DVDs. You may even start working with this and make some money – there is a huge market for this kind of conversion out there for people that don’t want to go thru the hassle of converting the tapes themselves. In this tutorial we will show you how to convert your VHS tapes into DVDs. In this part we will cover the hardware part, i.e. the physical installation of your VCR to your PC, including how to install a video capture board to your PC.”
Sapphire RADEON X1300 256MB at Modders-Inc.com
Modders Inc. :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Sapphire RADEON X1300 256MB With the introduction of the X1300 series video card Sapphire and ATI have made available to consumers on a limited budget the chance to play some of todays better games. The Sapphire RADEON X1300 256MB is a great entry level video card that has the features of more expensive higher end video cards without the prohibitive price tag. With a street price of about $100 USD it is a true “bang for the buck” video card worth looking into.
NGO ATI Optimized Driver v1.6.4
NGOHQ :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
The NGO ATI Optimized Driver is a tweaked version of the ATI Catalyst driver. The main purpose is to satisfy the users with better performance and image quality. The Driver has support for all Radeon cards.”
AVerMedia UltraTV USB 300 @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Altec Lansing AHP 712i Headphones
OCModshop :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: Conclusion is pretty simple. If you can afford the 150.00 price tag and need a quality audio device then this might be the perfect product. The AHP 712i is Ideal for the traveling business person or the developer / gamer that wants to tune out the world. Remember these are not Headsets for gaming these are Headphones for musical entertainment. Great gift idea for anyone that travels allot the Airline phone jack is a plus.
Saitek A-350 Wireless Headphones
Think Computers :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Speakers
Think Computers :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Mobile GPU Comparison Guide Rev. 5.1 Posted!
Tech ARP :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote – “These days, there are so many mobile GPU models that it has become quite impossible to keep up with the different configurations. Therefore, we decided to compile this guide to provide an easy reference for those who are interested in comparing the specifications of the various mobile GPUs in the market as well as those already obsolescent or obsolete.
Currently covering over 60 mobile GPUs, this comprehensive comparison will allow you to easily compare 14 different specifications for each and every GPU! We hope it will prove to be a useful reference. We will keep this guide updated regularly so do check back for the latest updates!
Nextlink Bluespoon AX2 Bluetooth Headset Review
Blue Tomorrow :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Samsung SyncMaster 940BF
Designtechnica :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
More options are becoming available to consumers as LCD Monitors are growing to be a mainstream item. In fact, CRT displays will soon fade out and become a thing of the past. However, until that happens people should put some considerable thought into purchasing an LCD Monitor. The Samsung SyncMaster 940BF has a mediocre 19” display with a small bezel and some decent features. Unfortunately, these features are not enough to justify its high price tag. Perhaps if the monitor was designed better and the price was $100 lower, it would be the ultimate in displays of its class. Read on to learn more about the Samsung SyncMaster 940BF display.
MSI RX1800GTO-VT2D Overclocking Test
Madshrimps :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT Graphics Card Review Posted!
Tech ARP :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
If you have been drooling over the new GeForce 7900 GTX but can’t afford it, you may be interested to know that it is actually not quite the best thing in NVIDIA’s line-up.
HIS Overclocked Radeon X1600 Pro Turbo Review
Hardware Secrets :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
“Radeon X1600 Pro is a mid-range graphic chip from ATI, and HIS has launched a factory-overclocked model using this chip, dubbed X1600 Pro IceQ Turbo. While “Turbo” goes for the factory-set overclocking function, “IceQ” goes for the big fan that video cards from this series from HIS uses, which helps removing hot air from inside your PC. Let’s see how is the performance of this factory-overclocked Radeon X1600 Pro from HIS.”
Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker System
Think Computers :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Silverstone MS02 2.5″ HDD Enclosure Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
nVidia has set things right!
NGOHQ :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
We have just received a phone call from an Nvidia representative. He wanted to call us earlier but was delayed due Easter. He explained the situation to us and apologized for the situation. We believe that situation happened due the lack of communication between Nvidia and NGOHQ. I believe it will not happen again in the future. We have been asked nicely to remove the SLI Patch and we agreed to do so.
The entire issue has been solved in a professional manner. I would like thank everyone who supported us. Since I noticed many people blamed Nvidia for greed I would like to mention that they never asked for money or anything like that. They just requested to have us remove the SLI Patch to protect their trademark and copyrights. We are very pleased that we were able to solve that issue in a professional manner. I would like to thank Luciano from Nvidia for taking the time to explain everything in a concise manner and to Hilbert from Guru3D for his support on this issue.
Samsung SyncMaster 970P 19 Inch LCD Monitor Review
Tweaknews :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Sapphire Radeon X1900XT Graphics Card
TweakTown :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
QUOTE: “No matter how well a manufacturer does in the past makes no difference when it comes to a new product to test out. Today’s contestant is the Sapphire X1900XT graphics card. Using the newer ATI R580 chipset and fitted with 512MB of onboard memory, we’re going to put it through its paces and see how it compares to graphics boards using the Radeon X8xx series chipset. We’ll take a look at features and performance numbers and try to help you decide whether this product would make a worthy upgrade in your own enthusiast rig.”
ATI Radeon X1800 Linux Preview
Phoronix :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Summary: “After months of negative scrutiny by the Linux community, ATI will finally be pushing out its X1000 support to their Linux proprietary drivers later today. With that said, starting today with the 8.24.8 display drivers penguins can finally experience the benefits of the X1000 series, while Microsoft users have been able to experience this level of support since launch date. While it will likely take a couple of monthly driver releases to nail down the fine details related to this support, we have up now our ATI Radeon X1800 preview as we compare various X1000 cards against that of NVIDIA’s GeForce lineup under Linux.”
Asus EN7800GT TOP Silent 2DHTV/256M Videocard Review
PCStats :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
ATi Catalyst 6.4 with CP
NGOHQ :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
“We have noticed that some people still prefer to use the old ATI Control Panel over the Catalyst Control Center. As a result I have decided to incorporate the Control Panel into the newly released Catalyst 6.4s.”
Sapphire Radeon X1300Pro
Bytesector :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
“Over the past few months, Bytesector has reviewed the two ATI-based mid-range graphics cards from Sapphire. The X1600 series was an acceptable performer and proved to be a product worth consideration when upgrading. Sapphire and ATI proved to me that miracles are possible when I saw the benchmarks for the X1600XT. Today I will be looking at Sapphire’s Radeon X1300Pro, which fits into the low-range graphics card market. I have come to expect great things from ATI graphics chipsets, and I am curious to see just what performance is available from a low-end graphics card these days. Let’s check it out.”
What To Look For When Buying HDTV
Digital Grabber :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
The big question last season when shopping for a new TV was whether or not to invest in a HDTV ready set. That is no longer the question. Prices today are comparable between standard TVs and HDTV compatible ones that it’s a no-brainer to go with a HDTV ready set. So the question is not whether to purchase a HDTV, but what kind of HDTV to purchase? We have three consumer choices: Plasma, LCD, or DLP. Here’s a brief look at the pros and cons of each and our recommended pick in each category.
GeForce 7800GT Voltage BIOS Softmod
NGOHQ :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Quote: “Not everybody knows how to perform a voltage mod. Today we’re giving 7800GT users a small gift – this universal 7800GT BIOS image contains a small voltage mod of 0.1v in 3D mode, meaning you will be able to overclock your 7800GT even higher.”
ATI R600 Details Revealed
CoolTechZone :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
“After convincingly taking away the performance crown from NVIDIA, ATI seems to be on a roll. The R580 was a smashing hit, but the R600 seems to be even more stunning. If our sources are to be believed, then the specifications sheet for the R600 will look something like this.”
EVGA 7600GS 256MB Video Card:
3dgameman :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
“The EVGA 7600GS 256MB Video Card comes in two different flavors: Active cooling, and Passive cooling. This review is for the Passive cooling model. The card is fantastic for silent computer setups or in a Home Theater PC for watching HD movies. On the gaming side of things, this card has all the features but lacks real performance. Of course, EVGA has their higher end 7900 series cards for that! Watch the Video to find out more…” ~3dGameMan.com
Altec Lansing iM716 Earphones
The Tech Lounge :: Friday, April 07, 2006
Regardless of how you feel about the lawsuit, the push to get Apple to provide noise-reducing headphones is interesting. In our ever busier and noisier society, it’s nice to be able to put on some headphones almost anywhere, and escape to our own little musical paradise. Of course, with most headphones the volume may need to be cranked to nearly unbearable volumes to escape the outside world completely, which is exactly why Apple is facing this suit. This problem is something other companies have been working to address and we’ll be looking at one possible solution today; the Altec Lansing inMotion iM716 earphones.”
Albatron 7300GS
Overclockers Online :: Friday, April 07, 2006
Quote: We can certainly see a card like this being suitable for those who use their machine seldom for gaming. The simple heatsink fan combination provided great cooling with little noise and even allowed us to squeeze a bit more out of the card through overclocking.
ASUS Geforce 7900GT 256MB
OCModshop :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
“Specification wise, the ASUS 7900GT runs at 450MHz on the core, and 660MHz (1320MHz DDR) on the RAM, which is 256MB in Samsung 1.4ns bc14 GDDR3 chips. The 7900GT core has 24 pixel pipelines, which is nice to see on the 7900GT model as 24 is the same number featured in the 7900GTX model. This wasn’t the case with the 7800GT – it had 20, 4 less than the 7800GTX.”
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX Graphics Card Review Posted!
Tech ARP :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
BFG 7600GT OC SLI and AeroCool ZeroDBA PSU
Neoseeker :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT Video Card Review
Legit Reviews :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
Albatron K8SLI Motherboard Review
Hardware Secrets :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
“K8SLI from Albatron is a socket 939 motherboard (i.e. targeted to Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX, Athlon 64 X2 and Opteron CPUs), based on nVidia nForce4 SLI chipset. Its main advantage is its price, lower than other SLI-based socket 939 motherboards available on the market. Does lower price mean lower quality and lower performance? We will check this out on our review.”
XFX 7900GT and 7600GT Video Cards Review
Overclockers New Zealand :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
“Nvidia’s 7900GT is an excellent choice for the performance seekers, offering a new level of performance, which is faster than the Nvidia’s previous flagship card 7800GTX. This should not come as a surprise to anyone, as the 7900GT is essentially a higher clocked 7800GTX that is built on the advanced 0.09mm manufacturing process. The 7900GT offers an excellent performance/price ratio, with 80~90% of 7900GTX’s performance at 3/5 the price.”
Logitech Wireless Music System
Techgage :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Quote: Do you wish you had the ability to stream music across your entire house? That’s where the Logitech Wireless Music comes in. It will allow you to play all of your digital music through your home stereo or standalone speakers. Let’s check it out and see if it’s worth your time.
Altec Lansing iM11 Portable Audio System
Think Computers :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Quote: “The beloved iPod, the most popular MP3 player ever. With the popularity there are tons of companies making accessories to cash in on the iPod’s success. Over the past years we have seen a lot of junk accessories. Only a few companies have been able to come out with good quality iPod accessories. Today we will look at the iM11 from Altec Lansing. Altec Lansing is known for making quality audio products, so let’s see how the iM11’s perform.”
Samsung HT-P50 Home Theatre System Review
The Tech Zone :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
MSI RX1600Pro-TD256E Video Card Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GS CO SuperClock Review
MVK Tech :: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
“This year NVIDIA released in February an AGP version based upon the GeForce 7800 chip. Somehow the AGP market is still bigger then the PCI Express and therefore NVIDIA saw the need to kick out a new product to bring em at the top of the performance gain in the AGP world. By releasing the GeForce 7800 GS AGP based upon the GeForce 7 series released previously NVIDIA made sure they can deliver top notch performance and an attractive upgrade path for all AGP system owners. And with EVGA being a close partner of NVIDIA, we see the release of the e-GeForce 7800 GS CO SuperClock.”
MSI NX7300GS-TD256E Videocard Review
PCStats :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
The extra memory on the MSI NX7300GS videocard did certainly help things, but if you’re in the market for a PCI Express videocard it’s well worth your while to understand the limitations of this GPU. It is affordable, it shows a marked improvement over the Geforce 6200TC, but it is still a mainstream PCI Express videocard.
Diamond Viper X800GTO
techPowerUp! :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
With all the attention on the high ends cards being released most people overlook the bargain video cards that are already out by numerous OEM manufactures. It seems everyone is on the band wagon and this includes Diamond Multimedia. With the release of the GTO and GTO² series there are some goods deals to be had. We’ll be taking a look at Diamond’s Viper X800GTO PCI-E to see it’s no X1900 but would take the sting out of finally upgrading to PCI-E.
HIS X850XT iceQ II Turbo Review @ Techware Labs
Techwarelabs :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
“ATI has sent TWL a Radeon X850 XT for review and without hesitation; we put it to the test. The HIS X850XT iceQ II Turbo Dual DVI 256MB PCIe is every impressive looking with its two slot design. The card is designed with a long list of features which left the reviews reading up on the advantages and testing out the tweaking tool to see what we can really get out of the card.”
AVerMedia AVerTVHD MCE A180 HDTV PCI TV Tuner
Big Bruin :: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Quote: I am most pleased with the interface of the AVerTVHD MCE A180. It has a modern look, with well laid out controls that makes operation in Windows XP Pro easy and enjoyable. As compared to the interface of tuners from other manufacturers, I’d have to say the AVerTVHD MCE A180’s ranks at or near the top.
HIS X1900 XTX and HIS X1900 Crossfire Edition
Bjorn3D :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Today, we are looking at the HIS X1900 Crossfire Edition Master Card and the HIS X1900 XTX. We will test them both separately and in Crossfire mode.
ATI Launches Crossfire Xpress 6400 Platform (4xCrossfire!)
The Tech Lounge :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
“After recent news of NVIDIA launching their 4xSLI platform, ATI now announced the launch of the Crossfire Xpress 6400. With an Xpress 6400 motherboard you will be able to purchase two master cards and two slave cards from the X1000 series to power a single display with FOUR video cards. While this may not exactly be the making of a mainstream computer system, you can bet green team isn’t happy about it.”
BFG Tech 7900GT 256MB Video Card
GideonTech :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
“Overall, I think this video card is worth purchasing if you are looking to upgrade or are moving to PCI-E. For a mid-high range card it holds well in FPS games and does well in RTS and MMORPGs as well. It stays cooler than the 6600GTs which it replaces, which idled around 50c, a temperature this one only reaches after a gaming session. Although I’d still like to see the card come with RAM heatsinks, I have not run across a time where the extra cooling was required. The biggest disappointment I had was having to wait for the second card to arrive after the first one arrived DOA.”
BFG Tech 7900GT 256MB Video Card
GideonTech :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
“Overall, I think this video card is worth purchasing if you are looking to upgrade or are moving to PCI-E. For a mid-high range card it holds well in FPS games and does well in RTS and MMORPGs as well. It stays cooler than the 6600GTs which it replaces, which idled around 50c, a temperature this one only reaches after a gaming session. Although I’d still like to see the card come with RAM heatsinks, I have not run across a time where the extra cooling was required. The biggest disappointment I had was having to wait for the second card to arrive after the first one arrived DOA.”
MSI NX7900GT
t-break :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
Besides the highest-end GTX from nVidia, the 7900 also has a GT version priced considerably less. We take a look at MSI’s solution to find out how well it performs. Here’s a bit from the article:
Today, we have the younger sibling of that card- the 7900GT and this one’s by MSI. The 7900GT is basically lower clocked version of the GTX with the core running at 450MHz and 256MB of memory at 660MHz. The number of pixel and vertex shaders remain unchanged so a good overclocker should be able to reach close to the GTX in terms of performance while the pricing for this one starts at $249
Samsung SyncMaster 244T
Bytesector :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
“As video cards continue to become more and more powerful, support for multiple monitors is becoming increasingly common. But instead of buying 2 monitors of marginal quality, what if you could buy one huge monitor instead? And what if that monitor could also take television inputs? The SyncMaster 244T is just such a product from Samsung. This 24″ widescreen monitor is nothing short of massive, and takes five different types of video inputs, making it very flexible. The long list of features and incredible viewing quality for all uses will make any user question the practical use of multiple monitors. Although this monitor supports multiple inputs, it will be reviewed as a PC Monitor instead of a TV because of the lack of speakers.”
ATI’s CeBIT Graphics Press Coverage Analysis
techPowerUp! :: Sunday, April 02, 2006
At this year’s CeBIT NVIDIA had a load of new products and was very aggressively marketing them, which made ATI’s existing customers feel insecure. In order to level the playing field and reassure distributors that ATI is indeed able to compete, this presentation was created. It quotes several big websites on topics like X1800GTO, 7600 and 7900.