Tech News October 2003

Blue cold cathode 80mm fan
Xoxide :: Tuesday, October 21, 2003

“New Cold Cathode fan comes completely assembled including both the crystal clear fan and round cold cathode tube. Tired of those Dim LED fans this fan is as bright as any cold cathode light and performs well also. ”

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Antec Minuet Case Review
Bjorn3D :: Tuesday, October 21, 2003

“That’s right, this case only accepts half height expansion cards. That said, integrated video and audio might be something to look for when buying your hardware. The computer industry seems to be offering more compact and full featured components (such as motherboards), so it’s not out of the question to have a decent computer crammed into this case.”

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Thermaltake Silent Boost Heatsink Review
Furioustech :: Tuesday, October 21, 2003

“I am starting to prefer quiet and performance more than that jet engine whine next to my ear. Thermaltake has a heatsink called the Silent Boost, I was very impressed with this product and I think you will be also. Great design and good cooling and you can hear your TV or significant other over your computer always a plus in my world!”

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Swiftech MCP600 Water Pump and Fill & Bleed Kit 525
SystemCooling :: Tuesday, October 21, 2003

“Swiftech has a new pump in their water-cooling line up, the MCP600. Not only is it more powerful than their previous pump, you won’t need AC power to run it. We will flow test this pump with single and multiple blocks using a popular pond pump for comparison. We also have the newly configured Fill & Bleed Kit 525 for evaluation.”

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Antec TrueBlue 480 watt PSU Review
GruntvillE :: Tuesday, October 21, 2003

“If the PSU is weak, your machine is going to be weak. Over the last year I have been thru 3 different PSU’s. The first, an Antec 350w was a good PSU but right off I knew I was going to need more power. So in Feb I came across a killer deal on a Thermaltake 420, and while that worked good for awhile it started to show signs of faltering. After I added my Raid array, when my Raid was accessed my CCFL’s would flicker. Then the Raidmax came in for review and that didn’t go as well as expected. Which leads me to the newest PSU to get a thorough inspection from us here at GruntvillE; the Antec True Blue 480watt. Let’s see if this is going to cut it for me, and possibly for you.”

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Cooler Master Musketeer Review
The Tech Lounge :: Tuesday, October 21, 2003

“Since I started reviewing, I have seen many functional 5.25” panels come across my desk. I must say that this is probably the most unique I have seen as of yet. Strangely enough, it seems Cooler Master has made a sort of ‘trophy’ product. What I mean is that, at least at first glance, the device doesn’t appear to be of much use, but it is surely a looker.”

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Cooligy’s Active Microchannel Cooling System
Frosty Tech :: Tuesday, October 21, 2003

“Having a chance to test out a new cooling systems can really let you know just how accurate a manufacturers wild claims really are… take that hands-on experience away and things get a little mirky, though, when it comes to new and revolutionary tech we have to be a little more forgiving. Especially if the technology, like that of Cooligy’s Active Microchannel Cooling, has just been introduced. Mix in reported cooling potential of 1000Watts per square centimeter (current processors output about 250W/cm2), and you can see why we’re more than just a little interested.”

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Geargrip TFT harness review
Red & Blackness Mods :: Tuesday, October 21, 2003

“Geargrip is a pretty big company that is working behind the scenes since they don’t make hardware or modd products. They make carry bags for screens and computers. They sent me a sample of their LCD harness which is a carry “bag” for your LCD screen. This seems to be a nice high quality product that you can use when you want to move your TFT screen to LANS or when you are moving etc etc so stay tuned as we have a closer look.”

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Aspire Aluminum ATX-AS500W PSU Review
MODTHEBOX! :: Tuesday, October 21, 2003

“The exterior of the PSU has been encased in a black anodized aluminum chassis while the top portion has been covered in a see through acrylic shell. The unit measures approximately 150mm x 168.5mm x 86mm and is slightly heavier than most steel based power supplies on the market. By default this unit comes with two 80mm Blue UV sensitive ball bearing fans, which are positioned on either side of the unit for optimal cooling.”

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FSP Aurora 350W Power Supply Review
Furioustech :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“Power supplies are the lifeblood of your computer, but not every one needs a 500W server unit. Enter the Aurora from FSP, a budget minded power supply that will meet the needs of your average builder. Check this review out and you might get a charge out of it!”

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Gigabyte Ga7vt6000 Kt600 review
Red & Blackness Mods :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“Nforce 2 is found here and there but what about Via Kt600? Well that’s tonites review object since we have this Kt600 board from Gigabyte. We are going to test nforce 2 vs this kt600 to see if there is a huge difference or not. Sisoft Sandra, Pcmark2002 etc etc will be used for testing. This board seems to be great with all the accessories but is it ? Well let’s get this show going to see how this board is able to perform.”

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Biostar iDEQ 200N SFF System
Bjorn3D :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“All the power and drive cables are neatly placed out of the way, cable-tied and strapped up all around the case. The IDE / FDD cables are flat ribbon cables, but they have been folded and taped with special tape so they are very small and neat, reducing clutter and helping airflow. So, basically all you need to do when you receive your case is add the CPU, RAM and drives, no routing of cables or wires is necessary. I really liked this because when it comes to case wiring / tidiness I’m a bit of a neat freak. It saved me from having to do some work! Always a good thing.”

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ExtremeCase.com Z-Black Windowed Case
TweakTown :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“Remember back a couple of years when all computers were created in a beige box? Things have changed considerably since then, but that doesn’t mean all new designs are created equally. Come join Mike “Darthtanion” Wright as he takes a look at the Z-Black Case from Extreme Cases, Inc. It offers a true budget price and some features that may give you enough reason to add it to your wanted items list!”

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Gigabyte GA-8KNXP i875P Motherboard Review
PCStats :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“Today we’re going to be testing Gigabyte’s flagship Intel motherboard, the GA-8KNXP. The GA-8KNXP is based on the i875P chipset and the board has native support for Serial ATA/Serial ATA RAID, Ultra/133 RAID, IEEE 1394, CSA Intel Gigabit LAN, and 5.1 audio. For extra measure, Gigabyte use dual BIOS’ on all their boards, and to improve reliability have even engineered something called DPS2 (Dual Power System) which clips into the board in a special slot adjacent to the IO panel.”

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Zalman ZM80C-HP Heatpipe VGA Cooler + ZM-OP1 Review
MODTHEBOX! :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“The 12 bladed fan is capable of pushing air across the heatsinks at a respectable 20 dBA of noise in silent mode, or at full with a level of 33 dBA. Unfortunately there is no airflow information available, however, the ZM-OP1 is an optional kit to the ZM80C-HP, therefore with the added fan, the total package only exceeds the intended thermal conditions. The fan grill with the company name cut into it is made from the same dull grey aluminum as the heatsinks, matching the overall “industrial” feel to the heatsink.”

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MSI K8T Neo-FIS2R K8T800 Motherboard Review
PCStats :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“When it comes to motherboards, most manufacturers were ready to go public last year with their Athlon64 products, but due to AMD having manufacturing delays, no one could release their goods. After all how successful are you going to be at selling a motherboard when the processor’s are not even available? Today we’re going to be testing a K8T800 based motherboard from the minds at MSI, called the K8T Neo-FIS2R. It’s one of the first socket 754 Athlon64 motherboards on the market, and believe me, it’s one heck of a package! The MSI K8T Neo-FIS2R with an Athlon64 3200+ will cost about $910 CDN. When shipped with a processor, the K8T Neo-FIS2R also includes a nice copper-base socket 754/940 AVC heatsink.”

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SeaSonic 400w Super Silencer PSU Review
Monkey Review :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“Sea Sonic’s 400W Super Silencer delivers an impressive slew of features to go along with its good amount of power. A shift in the desire an average user has for his PC has been changing over the last few years. Not only do people want their PC to run well, but also run quietly, and in some cases, look presentable. Sea Sonic has looked at the industries standards, Enthusiast standards, and the average user’s standards on Power Supplies and they’ve come up with the Sea Sonic Super Silencer line, which offers the following models; 300W, 350W, 400W, and a 460W.”

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Cooler Master CoolDrive4
SystemCooling :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“The CoolDrive4 is Cooler Master’s latest creation, and in truth, it’s less revolutionary than evolutionary. In effect, what they’ve done is take the multi-function Aerogate II front panel, along with the housing from their CoolDrive3, and combine the two to give you all the benefits of both units while only taking up one drive 5.25” drive bay.”

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Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 Pro2 GTR 865PE
Overclockers New Zealand :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“The 8IPE1000 Pro 2 GTR is designed for performance and the MIB gives the overall system boost to the 875P level. On the innovative side, the CIA is Gigabyte’s latest invention on user friendly overclocking.”

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DFI 865PE INFINITY
Hexus :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“It’s very fast, stable, feature rich and should be aggressively priced. If DFI can iron out one or two presentation and overclocking problems it has the potential to be one of the very best consumer-level Intel-based motherboArds. The CMOS Reloaded feature was an especially nice touch. A decent showing from DFI.”

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Xoxide X-Turbine (Silver)
Xoxide :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“Our new X-Turbine case is an exclusive Xoxide.com model, produced only for our customers. It features a see-through metal mesh front grille, with two blue LED fans behind it. The end effect is stunning and aggressive. The airflow of the case is powered by six total cooling fans, making for a low case temperature, and a great start for low CPU and other component temperatures. The case features front mounted (behind a hidden door) USB and firewire connections.”

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Sunbeam Overclocker’s CPU Cooler Kit Review
MODTHEBOX! :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“After examining the package contents, I couldn’t help but feel very skeptical over the whole idea of this kit. The material included in this package is not relatively expensive and from a quick examination looks like it can be easily duplicated using ordinary house hold materials. Sunbeam Technology’s premise behind this kit is that it effectively reduces CPU temperatures thus providing a more stable overclocked system.”

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Aspire X-Alien Case Review
3dXtreme :: Thursday, October 16, 2003

“The Aspire X-Alien case uses Green LED fans to illuminate the entire chassis with a green glow. (The X-Superalien uses Blue) There are six 80mm fans 3 with LEDs and 3 without. On the top of the case is an exhaust fan that features an Alien head grill over it….”

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Antec Minuet Case Review
Monkey Review :: Tuesday, October 07, 2003

“Opening the Antec Minuet gave way to a couple of interesting findings. The initial one that pointed out was the lack of any fans for cooling/air circulation. Antec has given us a place in the rear to install a 40mm intake/exhaust. My personal recommendation: that it be used as an exhaust. Inside we also see how Antec has remedied the cumbersome job of installing a 5.25” or 3.5” drive/device. The removable drive bay, which is capable of housing the following drives 5.25” x 1, 3.5” external x 1, 3.5” internal x 1, is equipped with metal pegs on the side which fit into groves in the case. This allows it to move up and down freely and ultimately be removed completely.”

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SilenX 400 Watt Ultra Quiet Power Supply Review
Tweaknews :: Tuesday, October 07, 2003

“I simply cannot praise the SilenX 400W PSU enough. I mean, I beat the hell out of this little unit, and it laughed at me. It never faltered once, and held true to all of its claims. It is stable and amazingly quiet. Power supplies are, in my opinion, the most important part of a system. They provide the juice which powers the entire computer and a generic p.o.s. can harm your precious devices and hinder your box’s performance.

The SilenX 400W is a very wise investment.”

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Thermaltake Volcano 12 Cooler Review
Overclocker Café :: Tuesday, October 07, 2003

“If you think those fins look pretty tightly packed you’d be right. Sixty-six fins. This is the highest fin count I have personally ever seen on a heatsink. The fins themselves taper from roughly 82mm at the top, down to 63mm in width where they attach to the base. I’m not going to do the math beyond saying, that is one hell of a lot of surface area.”

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guide on sleeving your PSU.
Voided Warranty :: Tuesday, October 07, 2003

“I have had more than a few people ask, “How can I hide the ugly wiring inside my case?” And to answer that question, I have composed the following guide using the “Lab Rat” as the subject. Man, if ever a case needed some serious wire management, this is the one. So roll up your sleeves (no pun intended), and let’s get at it.”

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Spire SP420B8 CopperStream HSF Cooler Review
MODTHEBOX! :: Tuesday, October 07, 2003

“Unlike other Spire coolers that I have reviewed in the past which were skived, the Spire SP420B8 CopperStream Cooler is stamped from copper. The sides of the cooler, also copper, have been die stamped as well as bent into shape to allow the fan to be securely attached using the four screws.”

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X-SuperAlien Aluminum Mid-Tower (Blue)
Xoxide :: Tuesday, October 07, 2003

“This case is a gamers dream come true. The SuperAlien mid-tower case comes full of extra features to make your case the coolest around (<– coolest, get it?). The case includes a total of 6 80mm quad blue LED UV sensitive fans, and an LCD temperature display on the front of the case with 2 adjustable fan speed controllers”

Only $79.99

Athlon64 Motherboards Likely Delayed
PCStats :: Tuesday, October 07, 2003

“Which should come first, the Athlon64 motherboard or the Athlon64 processor? The answer depends on who you ask; ask AMD and they’ll say the chip, ask motherboard manufacturers and they’ll say the chip…. wait, did I get that right? In spite of all the glory AMD are now reveling in having produced the world’s first desktop 64-bit processor, until January 2004 arrives, it is going to be darn difficult for consumers to actually purchase an Athlon 64 processor by the sound of it. Consequently, while there were dozens and dozens of Athlon64 motherboards in both the Socket 754 and Socket 940 flavor on display at Computex 2003, things were not as they looked. Manufacturers it seems, are very hesitant to begin production of Athlon64 mainboards until AMD takes the bull by the horns and the limited Athlon64 supply problem is fully remedied. Given the excitement which has maintained itself surrounding the Athlon64 launch, PCstats has compiled a comprehensive assortment of the many Athlon64 motherboards from over a dozen different manufacturers; and here they are… 44 Athlon 64 motherboards!”

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