Tech News December 2002

Icy Dock removeable HDD rack review
Ripnet-UK :: Saturday, December 14, 2002

“…data loss is a pain in the neck but probably not a massively big deal, but if you use your PC for business purposes then losing something like a customer database could be far more serious, and maybe even see you heading for bankruptcy. Back-ups could be made to another partition on the same hard disk, but of course there are attendant dangers there. Far safer options are either copying your files to some form of removeable media like a CD or tape, or else copying them to a removeable hard-disk…”

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Xoxide PC Tachometer Kit Review
MODTHEBOX! :: Saturday, December 14, 2002

“The back of the Sun Super Tachometer II features a switch to select the cylinders for the intended vehicle. Configuration selections are 4, 6 or 8, however this is not important for our purposes in a PC. Another feature on the back of the tachometer is a supplemental lamp plug to illuminate the unit when the headlamps are turned on. If one was so inclined, a bright LED could be worked in for a similar purpose to supplement the (weak) lighting included by default in the Sun Super Tachometer II.”

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FrozenCpu 3.5″ Dual-Voltage Baybus Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Saturday, December 14, 2002

“One of the really nice things about this design is the fact that you can access the fan connections while it’s installed on the faceplate!. That’s a highly under-rated feature folks…..it’s totally worth having and thanks to FrozenCPU.Com for bringing back that design feature from the 6-port to this 3-port model. The sencond nice feature here is that you can adjust the onboard “pots” for tuning the 7v switch from 7v-9v just in case you need alittle more juice to spin-up your particular fans, or if you just have a desired setting.”

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Swiftech MCW-50 GPU waterblock review
GruntvillE :: Saturday, December 14, 2002

“The Swiftech block has 4 holes in the base for mounting it to the NVIDIA GeForce line of products. Mounting the block is as easy as making the assembly. Put the block on with the inlets pointing away from the PCI slots. Start one assembled screw in first while holding the block flat against the GPU. Start a second screw in the opposite corner and then get the other 2 started. Tighten them down evenly doing a small adjustment to each one and going to the next till it is secured against the block. I found that my supports weren’t touching the board but felt it was plenty tight.”

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Innovatek Water Cooling Kit review
Nexus Hardware :: Saturday, December 14, 2002

“Innovatek has been a pioneer of the retail water cooling since the beginning. Ingenious German design, and high quality components are symbolic of the growingly popular Innovatek name. Today I will be looking at one of their water cooling kits. Hopefully, it will live up to its name!”

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ABIT AMD 333 HAPPY HOLIDAYS Contest until Christmas
ABIT :: Friday, December 13, 2002
To celebrate the upcoming holidays, ABIT wants to bring you more joy by offering MORE PRIZES and are extending the ABIT AMD 333 HAPPY HOLIDAYS Contest until Christmas.

In the spirit of the holidays, Corsair, Thermaltake, [H]ardOcp, Enermax, Lian-Li joined in their 333 Contest. In addition to (3) ABIT AMD motherboards, (3) ABIT Siluro VGA cards, (3) AMD Athlon XP 2700+ 333 FSB CPUs, we will give away (3) 430W Enermax Switching Power Supplies, total of (3) [H]ardOcp Ratpadz™, total of (3) Lian-Li PC Cases, total of (3) Corsair CMX256A-3200C2 memory modules, total of (3) Thermaltake Volcano 7+ CPU Fans and total of (3) Thermaltake Highest Performance Case Lighting “CoolMods” every week until Christmas.

To enter the contest, click here

3.5″ drive bay rheobus @ Lux-Design
Lux-Design :: Friday, December 13, 2002
Lux-Design is having a sale on their brand new rheobus that fits in a 3.5″ bay, they look really cool… Head over and buy one

LI Utilities WinBackup Software
Tweaknews :: Thursday, December 12, 2002
“Life can be hard on the net. Numerous viruses are out to get you and spyware crawls up the phoneline. But how can you really keep the data you want to keep in one peace save? Making backups ! In this review I will take you all on a trip through LI Utilities WinBackup Software and show you the good and bad points of this backup suite.”

back it up

ThermalTake SS Volcano9/CoolMod review
GideonTech :: Thursday, December 12, 2002
“So instead of a screaming 4800RPM fan blasting all day and night, you can finally control the amount of performance you need. Let it auto adjust itself through temperature changes using the probe or run it non-stop if you need the cooling. Better yet, slap on the adjustable dial and tweak to your hearts content…”

its a cool lookin heatsink

Triplex GeForce 4 Ti4600 Millennium Silver VGA Review
Overclockers New Zealand :: Thursday, December 12, 2002
“Triplex is able to catch a lot of people’s attention with the 007-style aluminium box (To be honest, it got me too). However, the packaging is rather plain besides the fancy box. There is no DVI to VGA converter (that is rather unusual for a Ti-4600 card) and no games were included either.”

thats a really nice video card

PCToys PowerMaxx 520W PSU Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Thursday, December 12, 2002

“Lately more and more things in computers have started to be changed to be more appealing to the eye, to perform better, or to be more user friendly. The case mod community in a sense has been a catalyst to the movement away from typical beige. So, naturally once one has a kickass rig, pre modded or not (I’m becoming more tolerant, but it still don’t make it right!), they can sit back in the neon glow of their creation and just smile. But wait! What’s that big gray ugly box in the back top of their case? The typical PSU, well unless they had done a good mod job on it of course. However, PSU enclosures made from new materials and colors are starting to show up at retailers and we’ve been asked to take a look at one of these… The black aluminum 520W “Power Maxx” PSU from PCToys. Sounds nice. :)”

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Cooler Master X-Dream HAC-V81 review
ViperLair :: Thursday, December 12, 2002
Performance wise, the HAC-V81 delivers quite nicely, although I wouldn’t call it a top performing HSF. Were it really shines though is in its ability to control the fan speed and therefore the noise output. Being able to choose a fan speed dependent on the systems current function can be a great asset to those looking for a ‘best of both worlds’ cooler.

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MonkeyReview Holiday Giveaway
Monkey Review :: Thursday, December 12, 2002
MonkeyReview has teamed up with Crucial, Evergreen Technologies/Thermagic, and oracle Graphics to bring you some free goodies around the holidays. MonkeyReview is giving away 256MB PC2700 DDR from Crucial, a Thermagic CSS(Self Contained Liquid Cooling Kit) Kit from Thermagic, some Thermagic Thermal Compound, and finally some nicely done custom appliqués from the people at oracle graphics. For our full contest rules and guidelines, please take a look here

Vantec Nexus NXP201 Fan-Controller Review
Frosty Tech :: Thursday, December 12, 2002
“I can remember when the first home-brew fan speed ‘rheobus’ was introduced on an enthusiasts website a few years back. Since then, a lot has changed in the computer world, and more than a few manufacturers have started producing their own variation of fan speed controller. A fan speed rheostat (as they were originally called) is meant to bring RPM control to the users’ finger tips. With the case fans connected to such a device you can decrease the speed of each fan independently for optimal airflow vs. noise.”

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a7n8x review @ maximum oc
Maximum OC :: Thursday, December 12, 2002
Maximum OC took a look at the new A7N8X which is a nForce 2 motherboard, he also done the voltage mod for it, see what he thought

Vantec Nexus Multi function Panel Review
SystemCooling :: Thursday, December 12, 2002
Control seems to be popular with PC’s lately. Noise control, that is. There was a time when we lived with the noise of the CPU fans we installed, but now the accessory market has stepped up the offerings of external fan control devices. Vantec’s Nexus Multi Function panel is one example. Not only does it allow fan control, it displays temperature and fan speed as well. The unit also adds convenient front mounted USB and Firewire ports. You can also customize the appearance.

What do you think?

NAYA Design cristO Classic Case Review
Hexus :: Thursday, December 12, 2002
If the case is available at half the quoted price, I would recommend it for someone wanting a unique case where you can see all the internals. It has adequate cooling for most people, those wanting high overclocks should look elsewhere.

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ZXMods Clear PSU Cover
Tech-Dreams :: Thursday, December 12, 2002
Finished modding your case? Just beginning to? Can’t think of any other ideas for it? When you look through your window of your case what do you see? Most likely some nice rounded cables, your beautiful graphics card with it’s pretty chipset cooler, oh yeah and your neon light making everything visible to see… Ahhhhh… Beauty… Err.. *Gasp* Wait… What the hell is that? Up there… towards the back.. Eww.. It’s your plain looking power supply sitting in its standard power supply cover… what can we do about that? How about a clear acrylic PSU cover by ZXMods?

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PC Hardware Gift Guide for 2003
3dXtreme :: Thursday, December 12, 2002
“Whether you’re looking for that perfect gift for the “Techie” in the family or just shopping for yourself here are some ideas and suggestions from us to you…. ”

You can all buy me something ;)

Antec TruePower 430W Power Supply Review
PCStats :: Sunday, December 08, 2002
“Power supplies are one of the most basic building blocks of a computer system, and they are also one of the most important . We’ve generally had pretty good experiences with Antec’s power supplies around here, so today we’ll be looking their TruePower 430W model. I’m sure from your perspective a power supply looks like is a pretty bland thing – after all, it’s really just a metal box with some circuitry inside that you install once, and forget about. Apart from the odd noisy fan, or a motor seizure which causes overheating, there really isn’t much to worry about, or is there?”

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Vantec Fan Controllers review
SystemCooling :: Sunday, December 08, 2002
Continuing on in our series of items that we have termed “functional eye-candy”, we bring you one of the very best “Fan Controllers” we have had the pleasure to work with. I said one because both the “pcToys SYSTEMAXX Fan Controller” and the “Vantec Nexus Fan Controller” are obviously produced by the same manufacturer, so from this point on we’ll refer to them as “the Fan Controllers” to simplify things.

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Asus A7N8X Deluxe NForce2 Motherboard review
Nexus Hardware :: Sunday, December 08, 2002

“Today we’re going to look at an NForce2 motherboard packed with features and overclocking options by one of the most respected motherboard manufacturers in the business, Asus and their NForce2 offering, the A7N8X. We’ll look at the performance difference between running in DDR and DCDDR and just how well the motherboard overclocks an AMD XP2400+”

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Soyo P4X400 Dragon Ultra Platinum Edition Motherboard review
Overclockers New Zealand :: Sunday, December 08, 2002
“Soyo Dragon is a very stable motherboard and offers many features and useful bundles (a typical Soyo style). The inclusion of Sigma box enabling front USB connection is something rare for a motherboard package. The eye catching silver colour with clear NorthBridge fan has good visual appearance especially for case modders.”

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Vantec Nexus NXP 101 Multi-function Panel Review
MODTHEBOX! :: Sunday, December 08, 2002

“My initial impressions of the Vantec Nexus NXP 101 Multi-functional panel were very positive; combining brushed aluminum, acrylic, and chrome style control knob provides a generous amount of aesthetics. Measuring 148.5 mm X 41.5 mm X 62.0 mm, the Vantec Nexus is designed for use in a 5.25″ bay. The Nexus unit comes pre-assembled and with the purple faceplate applied by default. The front portion consists of three main elements; an LCD display, Fan Control knob and USB 2.0 and Firewire ports.”

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Molex 37256 heatsink review
Overclocker Café :: Sunday, December 08, 2002

“Molex Thermal Acoustics was once a private company named Silent Systems. The Molex we all are familiar with bought the company and moved the business to its corporate office area in Illinois in October 1999. Therefore, with Molex’s acquisition of a company specializing in silent coolers, they may have got the know-how to combine with a fistful of money to put out some efficient coolers. The Molex coolers are designed for the OEM market but the design is there for a good cooler; let’s see if they can pull it off though.”

Check this thing out

Antec Plusview 1000 AMG review
GruntvillE :: Sunday, December 08, 2002
“The placement in this case was perfect. The plexi is firmly attached and would not move with sizable amount of force. The first thing you will notice is the raised ridges running horizontal over the fan hole in the side panel’s plexi. It is the first we have seen something like this, and is interesting to say the least.”

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Sunbeam Rheobus Kit #2 Review
MODTHEBOX! :: Sunday, December 08, 2002

“Behind the bay cover is the printed circuit board driving the unit. Four massive heatsinks cool chips that control four channels capable of handling 20 watts per channel, more than adequate for even the most power-hungry cooling solutions (Vantec Tornado users take note!). The PCB is secured to the cover by the control knobs and two support arms at the rear quarters of the board, which have screw mounts to hold the board firmly in place. To prevent an accidental short,the bottom of the PCB is padded with an open-cell foam pad. Overall, the unit shows lots of care has been taken in engineering a rock solid product.”

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Abit NF7-S Motherboard (Socket 462) Video Review #248
3dgameman :: Sunday, December 08, 2002
“The Abit NF7-S Motherboard is based on nForce2 chipset which delivers bandwidth speeds up to and beyond 333MHz. This board sports onboard 5.1 Channel Audio, USB2, LAN and RAID Serial ATA. It’s stable, performs well and is great at overclocking. Watch the Video to find out more…”

go give it a watch

Swiftech MCX4000 Review
ViperLair :: Sunday, December 08, 2002
“Since copper can absorb heat fairly quickly, it was no surprise that the MCX4000 allowed us to POST at the highest levels we were able to acheive with our CPU/Motherboard combo. The previous high was 161FSB, but with the MCX4000, we managed a 165FSB POST. The system eventually hung at the POST screen, but we were able to boot into Windows and run benchmarks at 158FSB. Temperatures after 20 minutes of testing was about 59C.”

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Hitachi CML174SXW LCD Monitor review
Tech-PC :: Sunday, December 08, 2002
“This is probably the first LCD monitor that can truly be recommended for gamers due to its fast performance, yet non-gamers will similarly benefit during desktop use and for watching DVDs and video. It’s not just fast response times that are the key to this monitor getting high appraisal. Of course it’s fast, but the picture also has to look good and I feel that it excels in every department. As you can probably gather, I really like this monitor! I decided to buy an LCD monitor after I saw how much better they looked compared to CRTs and with the Hitachi CML174SXW it is the ideal time for people who might be wary about buying an LCD (especially gamers who are concerned about ghosting) to experience the overwhelming advantages of this technology. You won’t be disappointed.”

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