Bgears b-Envi SFF Case Review
Dragonsteel Mods :: Thursday, February 21, 2008
PC Cases come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the most popular of course being standard ATX format sized cases as they will fit pretty much all form factors of motherboards and can hold many components. The SFF or Small Form Factor case is a somewhat specialized case that is meant to have a small footprint and be portable if need be. SFF cases became popular with gamers so they didn’t have to carry full-sized heavy cases with them to LAN parties, but with the popularity of Home Theater PCs, these same cases are finding a new use as the center of our home entertainment systems. Today for review I’ve got the b-Envi SFF case from Bgears and it’s a nice case overall packed with several cool features like a built in removable 2.5” hard drive enclosure, 58-in-1 card reader and quiet 120mm fan. The b-Envi is an all aluminum case making it very lightweight and portable with room for two hard drives and one optical drive. The first thing that struck me about this case was the fact that there are no buttons on it, it features a touch sensitive panel with ‘buttons’ that light up to be touched when you want to power of/off or reset the system, it even has an automatic locking mechanism so the ‘buttons’ can’t be accidentally touched. So, let’s just jump right into this and check it out…
ASUS Xonar D2 Sound Card; Portable Media Player Buyer’s Guide, Part 1
IXBT :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“In this series of articles we’ll try to provide a clear description of the portable media players industry. What to pay attention to? How to understand technical specs or some obscure terms? This series of articles is written for inexperienced users, not for professionals. In this respect, it will describe simple things mostly.”
Asus Triton 77 Heatsink Review
Frosty Tech :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“The ASUS Triton 77 heatsink is one of the latest processor thermal solutions to come from motherboard manufacturing giant ASUS. The heatsink is equipped with a Sunon MagLev 92mm vapo-bearing PWM fan which runs at a very quiet 2300RPM. Standing a moderate 125mm tall, the Triton 77 heatsink has five copper heatpipes spread across its curved array of nickel-plated aluminum fins, and weighs 505 grams. The bulk of this heatsink is elevated 55mm above the CPU socket for good component clearance.”
Corsair TX750W Power Supply Review
Hardware Secrest :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“TX750W belongs to the latest power supply series from Corsair, TX. It is the power supply with the highest wattage from Corsair today – rated at 50º C, by the way, which is great – and also the only one featuring four power connectors for video cards – even the 650 W model from TX series doesn’t have four connectors. Another technical feature of this new series is the use of a single high current +12 V rail instead of several virtual rails with lower currents – units from their HX series have three virtual rails, but models from their VX series also feature a single +12V rail. It doesn’t feature a modular cabling system like HX series, but it has a 140-mm fan, high efficiency and active PFC. Let’s take an in-depth look inside this power supply and see if it can truly deliver its rated power.”
ASUS Eee PC
t-break :: Monday, February 18, 2008
ASUS’ ultra-portable Eee PC has certainly been making a lot of noise and after playing with it for a few days, we can tell why. Although it will be officially launched in the region during the April time frame, ASUS was kind enough to send us a review sample.
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 45nm Wolfdale CPU Review
Madshrimps :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“We take a closer look at the fastest dual core CPU from Intel, the E8500, dubbed Wolfdale, is manufactured at 45nm which translates in low power usage and excellent potential for overclocking. We compare the performance of this newcomer to a 65nm Core 2 Duo and overclock past the limit using LN2. Read on to find out if we froze the Wolf!
GMC K1 Muse MediaCentre Mid Tower Review
Xtreme Computing :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“The Muse K1 case from GMC is so feature packed that it has made for my longest review yet, and even after this review there are still features of the case left un-shown. Before reviewing this case I wasn’t so keen on it. But since I have used it, it has really grown on me. The extensive feature set surprised me time after time, and I was pleasantly surprised on more than one occasion when I would enter a different mode on the software and find a new use for the buttons and display on the front of the case.”
How to Gain Access to a Windows User Account
Technibble :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“Technibble has posted a list of all their favorite freeware computer repair tools that computer Technicians use. There are tools for recovering data when Windows wont boot, virus/adware/spyware removal tools, hardware monitoring tools (specs, speeds and temperatures), password/cd-key retrieval and much more”
Tagan BZ 800 Watt Power Supply Review
Club OC :: Monday, February 18, 2008
Tagan is back in the Club with their new BZ 800 Watt modular Power Supply. This unit promises six +12V rails and one of the most feature rich packages I have ever seen in a power supply. The Tagan BZ 800W is a intriguing mix of innovative features, packaging and color, but will the performance live up to all the promise?
Scythe Ninja and Ninja Mini CPU Coolers
Techware Labs :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“Recently we tested the Scythe Ninja and Ninja Mini heatsinks for performance, design, and installation. We present to you our results may surprise you. Scythe has taken an unusual approach to heatsink design and combined outside the cube thinking with traditional design to come up with a heatsink that performs well but has issues. Read our review to find out more.”
Intel 1600 MHz Platform Update
Tech ARP :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“Previously, the only real difference between the Extreme and mainstream Core 2 processors is the unlocking of higher multipliers in the Extreme processors. This allows for easier overclocking of the Core 2 Extreme processors, albeit at a much higher cost. The restriction of the 1600 MHz FSB to the Core 2 Extreme segment would allow Intel to further differentiate those extremely-expensive models from mainstream Core 2 processors.”
Scythe Shuriken SCSK-1000 Heatsink Review
Frosty Tech :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“The Japanese manufacturer Scythe has introduced a low profile, sub-70mm tall heatsink for Intel and AMD processors tailor made for low profile computers. If you’ve got a low profile PC and are looking for that extra cooling edge, this might be just what the doctor ordered. The Scythe Shuriken (SCSK-1000) heatsink features copper heatpipes, high density stacked aluminum fins, a copper base and a low profile 12mm thick 100mm Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) fan.”
Outel USB Media Remote Review
Dragonsteel Mods :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“The USB Media Remote is tiny, feature packed including a built-in laser pointer and it fits right inside of a free PCMCIA slot for storage and easy portability. So if you’re like me and the majority of laptop owners out there who didn’t get a remote with their laptop but want one then I can easily recommend this product, so read on to check it out… ”
AMD Phenom 32-bit vs. 64-bit Linux
Phoronix :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“Since publishing our Linux review of the AMD Phenom 9500 on the Spider platform a month ago, we have continued in our investigation of this first AMD desktop quad-core processor that has been very problematic with Ubuntu 7.10 Linux. Fortunately though this support isn’t stagnate and a better picture is painted when using the latest development builds of Ubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” with the Linux 2.6.24 kernel. Per reader requests, we have carried out additional benchmarks of the Phenom 9500 to compare its 32-bit and 64-bit Linux performance.”
DisplayLink’s USB-to-DVI adapter reviewed
Tech Report :: Monday, February 18, 2008
Last year, Samsung released a 19″ LCD monitor capable of being hooked up via a simple USB connection. To work its magic, the display uses an embedded video chip made by a company called DisplayLink that works like a sort of self-contained graphics processor. That’s neat, but what if you already have a spare monitor you’d like to use via USB? Is there a cheaper alternative to coughing up the $300 or so for a USB display? As it turns out, yes there is. DisplayLink’s video chip is also available in standalone USB-to-DVI adapters, which allow one to connect any monitor with a resolution up to 1600 x 1200 via USB.
GlacialTech Igloo 5750 Silent CPU Cooler Review
Hardware Canucks :: Monday, February 18, 2008
Today we will be looking at an aftermarket cooler that will be released shortly and is marketed as a not only a budget cooler but a “silent budget” CPU cooling solution. GlacialTech may be a newcomer to the marketplace, as they only opened for business in April 2006, but the founders of the company are anything but inexperienced.
Kingston SD2/8GB SDHC Card Review
ASE Labs :: Monday, February 18, 2008
The SD2/8GB is an 8GB Class 2 SDHC memory card. Class 2 means that the card writes at (a minimum) of 2MB/s. This is the lowest speed class you can get in SDHC. Don’t let that stand in your way; this is an 8GB card after all. Kingston offers a lifetime warranty on all its memory products. You don’t have to worry about it breaking, but if it does, you are covered.
Asus Silent Knight II CPU Cooler Review
Hardware Logic :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“Just as there are two basic types of people, the enthusiast peripheral market is made up of leaders and followers. Not content to mingle among the latter, Asus often leads the pack with innovative designs, and this week we’re focusing exclusively on three very different CPU coolers from Asus. Today we get medieval with the Silent Knight II. Will the Silent Knight II prove but deadly against two modern day foes (heat and noise), or simply be found wanting? Pull up a spectator’s chair as we get set to joust from within HL’s cooling lab.”
Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler – The Sound of Silence
Legit Reviews :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“Noctua derived its name from the Greek mythology. The little owl, Athene Noctua, is the symbol of the Greek goddess Athene, who represents wisdom, science and strategy. She has a marked preference for the most clever among the Greek heroes, like Odysseus, who endure their adventures by the use of savvy consideration instead of mere force. It is the owl’s silent flight that Noctua keeps in mind with their fan design…”
Thermalright IFX-14 CPU Cooler Review
Madshrimps :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“CPU coolers keep growing in size, this monster from Thermalright is proof of that. The Inferno Fire eXtinguisher is a heatsink large enough to accommodate up to three 140mm fans! Furthermore it comes with a separate smaller heatsink which sole purpose is to keep the backside of the CPU socket cool. Will this powerhouse CPU cooler grab first spot in our performance charts? Time to find out!”
Moneual Labs M775 Mid Tower Professional Series Case Review
Big Bruin :: Monday, February 18, 2008
The Moneaul Labs M775 Mid Tower Professional Series Case is what you would expect to find on the lower end of the spectrum. It includes only the basics of a computer case, lacking the innovative features that we like to see. While it doesn’t manage to pack in things like tool-less drive bays or removable cages, the M775 does have its only little nifty qualities.
EVGA 780i SLI Motherboard Review
Motherboards.org :: Monday, February 18, 2008
NVIDIA’s new motherboard chipset builds upon the successful 680i SLI chipset from last year. The competition from Intel in the motherboard market is about to get very heated with the release of the Skulltrail platform for the high-end enthusiast and the X48, P35 and X38 chipsets offering higher performance with almost the same feature set (sans SLI). The 780i SLI adds support for the new PCI express 2.0 specification via bridge chip and the 45nanometer Intel CPUs to NVIDIA motherboard chipsets.
UniBlue ProcessScanner Software Review
Tweaknews :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“This free utility is a good starting point for troubleshooting a slow system or one that is suspected of being infected with a virus or spyware. A quick scan results in a well organized list of all processes running and their associated security threat level. Knowledge is power, and being aware of malicious processes is the first step in preventing future infections and keeping a PC running smoothly.”
Cooler Master Hyper 212 CPU Cooler
Tweak Town :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“While the design isn’t unique, it does follow a pattern set forth by some very efficient CPU Coolers. From a distance it would be difficult to tell the 212 from our current performance leader and award winner, the Noctua NH-12P; the designs are so close.
Cooler Master does have a vast distribution system and getting your hands on a Hyper 212 is going to be a lot easier than finding the Rosewill Z5. A big plus for consumers is that they can walk into many retail locations and pull a Cooler Master product right off of the shelf.”
Thermaltake DuOrb VGA Cooler Review
Virtual Hideout :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“The foot print of the DuOrb is much smaller and lighter than the stock heat sink which is always a nice result. And, the DuOrb does look better adding a bit more flash to a pricey graphics card with a somewhat boring stock cooler. Unfortunately, the included video memory sinks are plain gray, aluminum. This doesn’t do the cooler justice and steals away a bit of its potential. Matching copper sinks would definitely compliment the DuOrb better and keep the look more balanced. The Thermaltake DuOrb VGA Cooler is otherwise a good performer and would make your 8800 series graphics cards stand out. Due to the limited designs of stock VGA coolers, it’s nice to have a better option made from copper. If you need better cooling and your current card configuration just can’t keep up, give the DuOrb some consideration.”
Intel’s SkullTrail Platform, Playground for Titans?
Lost Circuits :: Monday, February 18, 2008
Awhile back we looked at Intel’s V8 system, kind of a proof of what is technically feasible using off the shelf components. Even though the performance in truly multithreaded applications was impressive, the gaming performance was somewhat lackluster, primarily because of the use of FBDIMMs and only a single PCIe graphics slot. On the other hand, the entire platform was never meant to become the backbone of a gaming rig in the first place. Then came the QuadFX platform with a promising architecture but it failed to impress compared to even AMD’s in-house competition. Meanwhile, there is a new generation of CPU out there based on Intel’s P1266 45 nm process and with a 12 MB L2 cache per package. There is also the recurrent rumor about Intel supporting SLI, or rather nVidia allowing Intel to support it in view of the AMD-ATI marriage. Well, something’s happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear … This time we are not having the carrot juice, rather we are embarking on a rather grizzly adventure on the SkullTrail, looking at the architecture and the core assignment of different applications and then try to come up with some halfway educated guesses why some software behaves the way it does, once it is confronted with eight individual cores and caches and two largely independent memory subsystems. That part actually turned out to be easier than we thought.
ASUS Maximus Formula Intel X38 Motherboard Review
Think Computers :: Monday, February 18, 2008
“If you know what a motherboard is, chances are pretty good that you have heard of Asus. Between their enthusiast and OEM motherboards, they have built a significant number of the motherboards in PCs throughout the world. They also build nearly every other component found in a PC…video cards, sound cards, power supplies, LAN and WLAN products, chassis, optical drives, and whatever else. The Maximus Formula is among the latest Asus Intel X38 boards utilizing DDR2 memory. Will it prove to be the excellent board that Asus’ P35 boards are? Stay tuned to see!”
