Tech News August 2004

NewsAug 30, 2004June 29, 20140

Thermaltake Silent PurePower TWV480 Power Supply @ Systemcooling
SystemCooling :: Wednesday, September 01, 2004

“PC power supply unit (PSU) manufacturers continue to look for ways to differentiate themselves from the crowd and make their products stand out. A recent trend has been the inclusion of a power meter, which provides the user with visual feedback of how much electrical power their system is using. The new Thermaltake Silent PurePower TWV480 Total Watts Viewer power supply features a digital watt meter mounted into a 5.25” bay panel. In addition, the package also includes two front panel fan speed controls for the PSU exhaust fan and an included 80mm case fan. The TWV480 PSU is available in two models: one with Active Power Factor Correction (W0043) and the one that we will be reviewing, which does not include active PFC (W0044).”

QTechnologies Model 350G Power Supply & Acousti Products AcoustiFoam Standard Pack Review @ OCIA.net
OCIA :: Wednesday, September 01, 2004

“Over the past few years, the manufacturers have paid much attention to the demands of computer enthusiasts for quieter systems, and have been developing “silent” power supplies. QTechnology is among these. Since 1998, QTechnology has worked hard to silence office and home computers with their “Ultra Silent” power supplies, CPU coolers, cases, and Acousti Products noise reduction materials.”

Zalman Reserator 1 (Review)
IpKonfig :: Wednesday, September 01, 2004

“Water cooling has made several changes within the last two years with introduction of easy kits, and external units, making them more portable also. But now Zalman comes out with their version of a fan-less watercooling kit, and from what we’ve seen–the only version currently on the market for the consumer side.”

Intel Pentium 4 550 (3.4 GHz LGA775) Processor @ Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Wednesday, September 01, 2004
“Although its current processors are not quite outperforming the ability of these interfaces, Intel Corporation decided recently that it was time to introduce a new package for their flagship Pentium 4 line of processors in order to get ahead of the curve a little bit. The engineers at Intel chose a design that is quite different than any other mainstream CPU available today. The processor design itself has not changed; the packaging of the processor is what has changed. Intel is still using the recently released Prescott core (replaced Northwood) for their Pentium 4 line-up.”

Tt BigWater H2O Kit Review @ The Overclocker Cafe
Overclocker Café :: Wednesday, September 01, 2004

“To say I was impressed would be an understatement. Thermaltake has certainly done their homework here. Excellent performance both in raw cooling power and quiet operation, easy installation coupled with a $120 price tag make the BigWater a BigWinner. The only downside of this unit from Thermaltake’s point of view would be that it effectively kills the market for the Aquarius II and III units. I fully expect that as this kit gets more coverage from other review sites, its reputation will grow quickly as an exceptional water cooling kit at an exceptional price.”

Mega 12-way Intel 925 and 915 Motherboard Roundup
TweakTown :: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

“Brace yourself! We have rounded up no less than 12 of the latest Intel 925 and 915 chipset based motherboards to hit the market from Albatron, ABIT, Gigabyte, EPoX, Tyan, MSI, ASUS and Intel. If you are looking at buying a new motherboard to suit your new Pentium 4 LGA775 socket processor, you’d be silly not to stop by and check out our results!”

Yeong Yang YY-5601 Mars ATX Mid-Tower Case Review
3dXtreme :: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

“The Mars YY-5601 Case is not as flashy as some of the Cases we’ve reviewed, but it provides a solid design with easy to use features and allows for a quick and easy installation. If you are on a tight budget and need a no frills Case with a Power Supply Unit, the Mars YY-5601 may just fit the bill. For the mere price of $52 the YY-5601 is a Case that provides great value for the dollar.”

A.C.Ryan BackyT Review
Madshrimps :: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

“Internal connectors on the outside? Not problem with a BackyT. If you were thinking of something dirty, you’re way off. This is a new product from the modding company A.C. Ryan.”

Vantec VA4-7245 Aeroflow 2 Socket A Heatsink Review
Frosty Tech :: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

“Overclockers also like the AthlonXP for its overclockability, and great gaming performance. Hence, it’s no surprise that heatsink makers like Vantec are creating newer Socket A heatsinks for the mass market. Vantec’s AeroFlow2 VA4-7245 AthlonXP heatsink is the siamese twin to its VP4-7245 model, with the only major difference revolving around the clip. In our experience, heatsinks of dual use design tend to favour one platform over the other, so it with great interest that we’ll be looking at the thermal test results in this review…”

In-Win CR-I530 10-in-1 Card Reader/Writer Review
Ninjalane :: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

“What is the verdict? This product works as advertised, and is very simple to install. Not much can be said beyond that.”

Thermalright NB-1C Review
InsaneTek :: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

“Thermalright is well known for their excellent SLK line of copper CPU heatsinks. Recently, Thermalright introduced their first northbridge heatsink, the NB-1. It is made of aluminum and comes with a very low price tag. Since then, enthusiasts have asked for a “mini-SLK” to match their SLK series CPU heatsinks. Thermalright has answered with one of their latest products, the NB-1C, an all copper version of the NB-1.”

The Ghetto Wireless Print Server
Rabid Hardware :: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

“After moving I was faced with a dilemma. Computers on one floor, printer on another. Instead of stringing cable (which smacks of effort), I decided to take advantage of that shiny, recently-purchased wireless router. And of course, being the cheap bastard that I am, I wasn’t terribly interested in shelling out even more for an existing wifi print server. This be the result: Mixing one part ancient laptop, one part cheap wifi card, and a dash of Linux, we had the Ghetto Wireless Print Server.”

Beginners Guides: Making DVD Movies from Video Files
PCStats :: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

“Given the imminent death of the VCR (as soon as recordable DVD set-top boxes become an affordable item), we feel it’s a good time to get a jump on converting your treasured home movies to recordable DVDs. In a recent PCstats.com Beginner’s Guide, we explored the process of turning your videotaped home movies into compressed video files for storage and display on your computer. We’d now like to present the companion piece to that article. In this guide, we will explore and explain the process of authoring DVDs from video files you have stored on your computer, that will play on any home DVD player. We will also run through some basic editing techniques to help you get the best out of your home movies.”

Seasonic Super Silencer SS-400AGX
Phoronix :: Monday, August 30, 2004

“Seasonic, a manufacturer not familiar with many computer enthusiasts, has been around since 1975. Can all these years of manufacturing power conversion products prove to be more successful than competitor power supplies that are better known? We will let you know our opinions on Seasonic power supplies when we look at the Super Silencer 400W.”

SilverStone SST-SDP01 Portable USB 2.0 Card Reader Review
ModSenergy :: Monday, August 30, 2004

“There has been a digital boom within the last couple of years. Many more digital products such as new mediums with massive storage size, such as CompactFlash and Secure Digital cards, are dominating the industry and it will only get better. The only way you can transfer data are from the product you are using them on to your PC. However, that wastes its battery life and subjects it to wear and tear. Moreover, if you would like to use these memory cards for other purposes than the device they are specifically designed for, you still need a device to read and write to them. Enter SilverStone’s SST-PD01, a new card reader. This isn’t just any card reader…”

Mushkin PC3200 Level II V2 (2-2-2-5) DDR Memory
The Tech Lounge :: Monday, August 30, 2004

“”Mushkin’s Level II memory was originally manufactured using Winbond BH-5 chips which offered timings of 2-2-2 at DDR400. Unfortunately, Winbond decided to change its focus and removed itself from the market. Due to the lack of BH-5 chips, most memory manufacturers had to discontinue their 2-2-2 memory. Last June, however, Samsung answered the prayers of memory manufacturers and consumers alike when they released their new TCCD chips, bringing back those extremely low latencies we once knew and loved! Not only do the new chips offer aggressive timings, they also have plenty of headroom and should allow for overclocks in excess of DDR500!”

Nu Tech DDW-081 8x DVD+RW Drive Review
3dXtreme :: Monday, August 30, 2004

“The DDW-081 DVD +RW is a great drive and is well within the price range of most consumers. Its operation is both quiet, reliable and the media required is also very affordable. We just couldn’t find any faults with this $55 drive!”

Swiftech MCB-120 Radbox and Coolsleeves PVC Coils
SystemCooling :: Monday, August 30, 2004

“You’re looking to upgrade your water cooling setup and would like to go with a larger radiator and fan combo. One problem – your already cramped box just won’t accommodate that ’59 Caddy heater core you saw at the bone yard and have lusted after. Well, Swiftech to the rescue! The MCB-120 Radbox lets you “think outside the box” with your radiator solution, without some of the ugliness or hassle of other external setups. And to keep things looking as cool as they are running, we’ve got some new Coolsleeves to check out as well.”

Reminiscing in Low-Res: Classic Arcade Games Online
Futurelooks :: Monday, August 30, 2004

“If you’re old enough to have been walking around with a quarter burning a hole in your pocket in 1982, then you likely pine for the classic video games of the period.”

PDP Systems Patriot PC3200 Memory
TechFreaks :: Monday, August 30, 2004

“I was pleasantly surprised with the decent showing of PDP System’s Patriot PC3200. Though not aimed towards the over-clocker, the Patriot PC3200 is quite a contender among value RAM. The Patriot PC3200 retails around ~$70 a 512MB stick, but is often on sale for ~$50, at which the memory is a steal. While not as solid a performer as the OCZ Premiere PC3200, for half the price, the Patriot PC3200 is a can’t miss for builders on a budget. Not to mention a 165MHz over-clock isn’t that bad for budget RAM. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this memory to someone on a budget or someone who doesn’t need the best performing RAM on the market.”

Thermaltake Venus 12 K8 Cooler
Bjorn3D :: Monday, August 30, 2004

“Athlon 64, it’s the new buzzword in tech circles these days. The AMD Athlon 64 processors are an inexpensive way to step up into the world of 64-bit computing. Along with new CPUs, you will always see new coolers/heatsinks popping up on the market to service the needs of the overclockers and die-hard enthusiasts.”

Logisys Phantom Case Review
FastLaneHW :: Monday, August 30, 2004

“Today we’re going to take a look at yet another premodified case, this time it’s the Logisys Phantom. Sporting a 120mm rear exhaust and front intake, along with an 80mm side intake, the Phantom not only looks interesting, but cools well, and won’t break the bank.”

Ultra 18 inch UV IDE cables @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Sunday, August 29, 2004
“Still using conventional grey ribbon IDE cables for your CD and hard drives? If so, it is time for an upgrade on your cabling. Not only are ribbon IDE cables unsightly, they also can be damaged easily when rubbed against a sharp edge, make the innards of your computer look jumbled, and can reduce airflow. In this review we will be examining the Ultra 18 inch rounded UV IDE cables.”

Check it out here.

Antec iLuminate Light Kit Review (with video) @ Mikhailtech
Mikhailtech :: Sunday, August 29, 2004

“This “puck” is responsible for everything that makes iLuminate unique. Some cold cathode kits have motion sensors to match them to the beat of music or the sound of games, but these generally look awful and aren’t very practical. Antec took a different approach. This cylinder is meant to be placed externally, directly next to a sound source (such as a speaker or a sub) for the best effect. It connects to the PCI slot using a PS/2 style plug. This slot has three settings. “Light on” means the tube is constantly glowing, whether the controller is plugged in or not; “off” is the master switch for the whole thing; “control on” hands things over to the puck. The puck is basically a cylinder with a switch on the side and an adjustable knob up top. The switch has four settings: “off/on” are self-explanatory; “fla” makes the light constantly flash about twice per second; “mo” activates the motion (sound) sensor. The blue portion acts as a knob and adjusts the sensitivity of the unit.”

New Reviews @ CDRInfo
CDRInfo :: Sunday, August 29, 2004
CDRInfo has posted 2 new reviews on the newest video cards from ATI and nVidia:

Asus Radeon X800 XT Platinum Edition
Gainward CoolFX 6800 Ultra – Updated with 64 bit AMD Socket 939 CPU

Ahanix D.vine 4 Home Theater Series PC Case Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM
MODTHEBOX! :: Sunday, August 29, 2004

“The Ahanix D.vine 4 Home Theater Series PC Case takes on a standard desktop style format and can support standard ATX and mATX components for a wide variety of possible configurations. The included review model is black in color and includes the optional VFD and 300W Silent Power supply. The overall appearance of the Ahanix D.vine 4 Home Theater Series PC Case is very sleek with a beautiful brushed aluminum bezel exposing only a few key features for easy access and information. A boldly printed D.vine logo graces the top left hand portion of the front bezel and is the only form of branding viewable on the entire chassis.”

OCZ PowerStream 470W Adjustable Power Supply Review @ VH
Virtual-Hideout :: Sunday, August 29, 2004

“The OCZ PowerStream series power supply is aimed squarely at the power user or gamer. When you decide to spend several hundred dollars on individual components for your newest box, you want to make sure that you have a quality power supply, and OCZ has assembled this unit to ensure that it is not going to be the weak link. OCZ has also done a great job of “future proofing” the unit to make sure that it will last you for a couple of upgrade cycles. When I removed the unit from the bright orange box, I was impressed with the heft of the unit and the fit and finish.”

Ideazon Zboard @Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Sunday, August 29, 2004
Using a normal keyboard and mouse to play computer games is no idea from the future. There are plenty of keys for setting up your own configuration but they are all stationary and cannot be moved around for comfort or usefulness. Ideazon has listened to the gamers of today and took their thoughts and comments to the drawing board. Their Zboard features a removable ‘keyset’ that allows you to customize your keyboard for many specific computer games, as well as some very popular application suites. The Zboard software automatically recognizes what keyset is installed and essentially ‘reconfigures’ itself, making the process seamless. Read on to see how beneficial this keyboard can be, and if it stands up to a hardcore gamers standards.

BeanTech BT-85
Overclockers Online :: Sunday, August 29, 2004
I always find case reviews fun to do. Every time I pop a motherboard onto a new tray it feels like I’m installing a brand new computer. Today I get a chance to revamp my test bed. For those who have seen my previous reviews know that my Abit NF7-S test bed consists of all the components placed on a little rack. As the school year approaches, I’m going to need something a little more durable and movable. Having a ton of fancy looking equipment in my case means I have to be able to show it off. Everyone knows there is only one way to do that – windows! With my new case, Prisma Prime BT-85, all I have is a window. It’s Plexi-Time at Overclockers Online.

Silverstone Temjin III (TJ-03) @ HEXUS.net
Hexus :: Sunday, August 29, 2004
“In all honesty my first impressions of the SilverStone TJ-03 were very high. There are a few areas that I’m not 100% happy with but let’s hope SilverStone keep producing stunning cases and make them readily available within the UK. It’s always nice to see full aluminium cases being released with great attention to detail and superb features. Along with these features is a nice price tag too. When I looked last it was possible to buy this case for around $255 in America. At the current conversion rate that is £130. Not a bad price in my opinion for a full aluminium tower case.”

Read it here

Voyeurmods.com Custom Etching Service Review @ GruntvillE.com
GruntvillE :: Friday, August 27, 2004

“The final option is a 3-D laser etch. These are done with high precisions lasers that basically burn little dots on the window. It uses gray scaling techniques to give the impression that the image is 3 dimensional. There are only a few places that perform this level of etching. While they all have some stock images to choose from, the real fun stuff is when you take an image that you created or picked and have it etched on your window.”

Review: Chenbro Gaming Bomb Mid-Tower @ GideonTech.com
GideonTech :: Friday, August 27, 2004
“The Chenbro Gaming Bomb, like the name says, is geared towards the gamer. I would say it’s geared more towards the tweaker, as the hands free features of the case make it so easy.”

Beginners Guides: Flashing a Video Card BIOS
PCStats :: Friday, August 27, 2004
“We recently ran an article on flashing the BIOS of your motherboard to enable new features and fix errors. Video cards in particular have an interesting history in relation to the BIOS flashing procedure. While motherboard BIOS fixes generally add support for new processors and fix hardware glitches, video card BIOS updates have the potential to do much more. Enterprising tech-heads have discovered instances where a video card can actually be transformed by a BIOS update, activating hidden features and potential buried performance aspects by the manufacturer.”

HEXUS.net Review: ECS KV2 Extreme
Hexus :: Friday, August 27, 2004
“While the KV2 isn’t quite the feature-fest that defined the PF4 Deluxe, it’s close. The only things (besides the obvious difference in processor and memory types) that differ are SATA port count, where the PF4 supplies two more ports than the KV2 (ECS opted not to hookup a SATA PHY to the VT8237 for four ports), and that the KV2 doesn’t ship with the USB WiFi networking device.

Other than that, the KV2 is pretty packed. Decent ATA support due to the SiS180’s extra port, extra SATA from it too, plenty of USB2.0, powered and unpowered FireWire400 and dual wired Ethernet with one port GigE-capable.”

HEXUS Feature: Free and Open Source Software – Part 3
Hexus :: Friday, August 27, 2004
Snip: “Installing nVidia drivers on Linux is fairly easy, with that little bit of preparation. Go to the nVidia homepage and download the latest driver, then run it with “sh filename”. The installer will tell you to go away, since you’re running under X. Okay, no problem. Tell X to go away with “/etc/init.d/gdm stop” as root, and run the installer again (as root), from within a text console. When it asks you, don’t let it check for interfaces on the nVidia FTP server – they don’t have anything for Debian users on there. When the installer finishes, you need to make a couple of changes (again as root) to the file /etc/X11/XF86Config-4″

HEXUS.net Review: Prolink Pixelview PlayTV@P7000 Media Centre
Hexus :: Friday, August 27, 2004
“There’s no integrated program guide, it doesn’t tune digital TV, the FM tuner is unusable, the remote would intermittently stop working, requiring a reboot to fix. That list goes on and on. The list of basic functionality issues present in the P7000 package make it highly unattractive in the face of competing products.”

WaterChill CPU/VGA/Chipset Power kit – KT12A-L30 @ Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Friday, August 27, 2004
Is it me or do we get more and more fans in our systems for each year? When I started using PC’s you usually had 1 fan on the PSU and nothing more. Today it isn’t usual that you have 2-3 casefans, a huge fan on the CPU, a big noisy fan on the video card and even in some cases a fan on the motherboard chipset. While all these fans do help removing heat from the computer they also introduce a lot of noise.

Corsair XMS 3200 XL PRO Low Latency Memory Kit Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM
MODTHEBOX! :: Friday, August 27, 2004

“The Corsair XMS 3200 XL Pro Low Latency Memory Kit is readily available from the Corsair website in a variety of packages ranging from 256MB to 1GB kits in both the standard black heat spreader and the Pro LED series. The Ultra Low Latency speeds are currently restricted to the PC3200 frequency only and are denoted with the XL name. The Corsair XMS 3200 XL Pro Low Latency Memory Kit consists of two 512MB modules for a combined capacity of 1GB designed for use on dual channel architecture such as the NVIDIA nForce 2/3 and Intel i865/i875P platforms.”

Nexus NX-4090 400watt PSU Review
Mikhailtech :: Friday, August 27, 2004
Opening up the unit reveals a couple decent sized capacitors but relatively puny heatsinks. Their size (as well as that of every other component) is no doubt limited by the thickness of the fan which spans most of the top. Speaking of which, it’s a 120x25mm blower (model name D12SM-12) made by Yate Loon Electronics and rated at 12V, 0.3A, and 1650RPM providing 56CFM at 39dBA. By default the fan runs at a fraction of its voltage, referred to by Nexus as its “idle mode”. At this level it’s rated at 16.2dBA which is inaudible beyond a couple inches. It speeds up in a linear fashion as the temperature rises (and increases in noise as well as airflow), though having used it for almost a week now I haven’t witnessed any apparent changes in airflow.

News – PDP PC3200 & PC4000 Dual Channel Kits
Overclockers Online :: Friday, August 27, 2004
Quote: Today we will be looking at two examples from their dual channel DDR line: the Patriot Memory Dual Channel 1GB PC4000 eased latency and Patriot Memory Dual Channel 1GB PC3200 low latency memory kits. Our goal in this article is to not only see if they perform up to their advertised specification, but to also see how much extra headroom each kit can afford. With that in mind, lets get started.

The ED#28 : Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier Editorial Posted!
Tech ARP :: Friday, August 27, 2004
” After over a year in development, the BIOS Optimization Guide has finally been published! Come and take a look at the final cover design and the details on this book!

Designtechnica Reviews the MSI Mega 865
Designtechnica :: Friday, August 27, 2004

“The small form factor (SFF) market is picking up steam and many companies are jumping on the bandwagon. What was considered a niche product, the small form factor PC has now grown to appeal to gamers, media enthusiasts and office users. MSI sells a number of SFF systems under the Mega PC product line. The system in particular that we are reviewing today is the MSI Mega 865 which is geared towards media enthusiasts that are interested in adding DVR type capabilities into their system, although it makes a great gaming system as well. Featuring Intel’s 865G +ICH5 chipset, the MSI Mega 865 has the ability to be a very powerful and feature rich system – provided you use high-end performance components. The MSI Mega 865 has a starting price around $300, but its total cost depends on what type of components you use in the system.”

DDR vs. DDR2 Article
Overclocker Café :: Friday, August 27, 2004

We first thought of a head to head comparison for these two standards when we saw that Gigabyte had come out with a motherboard supporting both DDR and DDR2 which would make the testing as fair as possible. Using the same motherboard and chipset would prevent any outside factors from influencing the test results.

Intel D925XCV LGA775 P4 925X Alderwood Motherboard Review @ Tweaknews.net
Tweaknews :: Friday, August 27, 2004

“Today I have the pleasure of taking a step into Intel’s new LGA775 backyard and review their top of the line Alderwood motherboard based on the new Intel 925X Express chipset formally released in June. What the Alderwood brings to the table is the new LGA775 pin configuration Intel P4, the new faster DDR2 memory and lets not forget the PCI Express videocard specification everyone has been talking about.

If you are considering a migration to the new 925X chipset, please remember that this will be a considerable investment. With the new motherboard you will have to purchase the new LGA775 based P4 along with DDR2 memory and a new PCI Express videocard. If you don’t want to upgrade your memory and videocard, there are a couple of Canterwood 875P based motherboards coming onto the market which will allow you to keep everything but the new LGA775 processor.”

MSI K8T Neo2-FIR Motherboard
PCStats :: Friday, August 27, 2004
“The motherboard PCstats is testing today is made by MSI Computer, and based on the second generation VIA K8T800 Pro chipset. MSI’s K8T Neo2-FIR motherboard follows through where its successful K8T Neo board left off, and proves to be a compelling option for a little over $140 USD. The motherboard supports Socket 939 AMD Athlon64/FX processors, comes equipped with four DDR RAM DIMM slots that accommodate up to 4GB of dual channel PC3200 memory, and packs in a long list of features.”

Raidmax RX470-XP PSU Review @ ModdersHQ
ModdersHQ.net :: Wednesday, August 25, 2004

“It’s no mystery that the PSU is by far one of the most important hardware purchases you can make for your rig. Even video card manufacturers like Nvidia are telling us we need a PSU with alittle meat on its bones. What if I said you can get a stable PSU that includes all the bells and whistles to run today’s hardware, conforms to the low acoustic trend and looks fantastic doing it? With that in mind, lets take a look at the Raidmax RX-470XP PSU.”

AOpen XC-Cube EX915 Review
Overclocker Café :: Wednesday, August 25, 2004

“he unit’s design is a matter of taste but I believe you would be hard pressed to find someone not liking the looks of the i915 based XC-Cube. Performance wise, AOpen brings us a nice showing. While you won’t be playing Doom3 with the onboard video, you can be doing most anything else. The small size of the EX915 coupled with an add in video card make the XC-Cube a LAN box to drool over.”

Military Dragon ICE Blue LED Switch @ ModdersHQ.net
ModdersHQ.net :: Wednesday, August 25, 2004

“The “Fighter Pilot” military style switch has been popular in car-modifications, and for awhile now, computer modifications. They give a nice look to any case. This one from DragonModz takes it a step further by including a built in LED with a selection of colors (this one was Ice Blue). The switch is solid and fairly easy to use, however, for computer applications it is very large.”

Ultra Dual 12 Cold Cathode UV Light Kit @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Wednesday, August 25, 2004
“With the modding craze becoming ever so popular, CCFLs (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lights) can be seen from a variety of different manufacturers coming in different sizes, shapes, brightness, and colors. Ultra Products has provided us with their Dual 12 Cold Cathode UV Light Kit, and that is what we will be checking out in this review.”

Cooler Master Real Power 450W @ Viper Lair
ViperLair :: Wednesday, August 25, 2004
“In the end, it’s all about reliable power, and the Real Power 450W delivers in this respect. The glowing LED PSU fan, and shiny black exterior are the window dressing on what is one of the best power supplies we’ve had a chance to test.”

Kingston HyperX PC4300 1GB Kit @ InsaneTek
InsaneTek :: Wednesday, August 25, 2004

“When the Winbond BH5 hype began, top overclockers realized that Kingston’s PCB was much better than what the competition provided. Many of the world’s top 3DMark scores are obtained with the use of Kingston’s KHX3200. I had a couple of these sticks as well, and hit a whopping 250FSB with just 3.2v. It’s a shame that I sold it. If you’ve checked out our review of the OCZ DDR Booster, you’ll see that I’ve had great success with the KHX3500. With all the talk about low latency memory, how does their high megahertz memory perform?”

Asetek Vapochill LightSpeed [AC]
SystemCooling :: Wednesday, August 25, 2004

“Asetek has been at the forefront of the phase change world, as it applies to computers, pretty much since the beginning, with their line of Vapochill cooling systems which was first introduced way back in 1997. Since then, other companies have come and gone, but Asetek has remained, constantly refining and improving their products. The system we’re looking at today, the Vapochill LightSpeed [AC], represents the pinnacle of phase change technology, and the culmination of years of work for the people at Asetek.”

PolarFLO TT Series CPU water block @ Legit Reviews
Legit Reviews :: Wednesday, August 25, 2004

“Quote: At stock speeds, the Danger Den TDX and the PolarFLO TT were evenly matched. When over clocked or stressed — the PolarFLO TT really stood out as the outstanding performer…”

Vantec Vortex HDD Cooler @ HPH
Hexa Plague Hardware :: Wednesday, August 25, 2004

“he cooler itself fits into a 5 ¼“ bay, but accommodates all modern 3 ½ “ disks (ATA, SATA and SCSI). Being constructed of Aluminium the whole cooler comes in fairly light with the exception of the front grill, the bezel is made from plastic, and looks great. The cross flow fan is designed to eliminate dead spots that are usually associated with traditional cooling fans. With a traditional fan you usually end up with a dead spot in the center of the fans radius; but because of the crossflow blower’s design there is no such area where air is not moving, creating a constant, wide area of airflow.”

Chaintech Summit SK8T800 VIA K8T800 Motherboard
Hexus :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“Chaintech’s Summit SK8T800 is an interesting board in many ways. It’s clear from the outset that features have to play second fiddle to cost. In that case, and at the time of production, Chaintech chose, correctly we might add, VIA’s K8T800 chipset as a base. Every feature emanates from the feature-filled southbridge. That means RAIDable on-chip SATA, 10/100 LAN, USB2.0, and decent AC’97-supplied sound. It just feels like a board that’s destined for the OEM market. Not bad for a package that currently costs $80 in the States.”

Cooler Master Dual Storm Fan
InsaneTek :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“The Dual Storm fan’s purpose is much like the TMD fan, albeit with different construction. Rather than using a single fan with motors at the corners, the Dual Storm utilizes two fans that spin in opposite directions to create extra air pressure and focus airflow towards the center. With the added option of a fan controller, the Dual Storm should definitely help keep CPU temperatures down to a minimum.”

Aerocool VM-101 VGA Heatpipe Cooler Review
3dXtreme :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“Today 3DXtreme has the pleasure of reviewing a silent cooling system for VGA cards, the VM-101. The quest for a good, silent cooling solution has come a long way and with the need to cool just about every major component in a computer system the need for silent cooling becomes even more important. But can this large heat pipe really perform as well as a fan driven cooler? Let’s find out…”

Coolermaster Stacker Review
FastLaneHW :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“Coolermaster has been a big name in the computer scene, providing high end enclosures and cooling devices for computers, and they have a top of the line case for a top of the line computer, known as the Stacker STC-T01.”

Thermaltake Fanless 103 HSF
TechFreaks :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“For the normal user looking to eliminate some noise from their system, the Thermaltake Fanless 103 Heat-Sink looks to be a considerable option. While it runs a little hotter compared to an active cooling solution, a temperature of 123°F (50.6°C) is still acceptable. Not to mention the Fanless 103 stands strong against the Venus 7+ in both Idle situations. Only during load while over-clocked does the Fanless 103 reach a temperature of 129°F (53.9°C) which is a little too hot for me. ”

CoolerMaster Cavalier Case Review
OCIA :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“How about fan controllers? Survey says… DING DING DING. One thing I have to brag on is the door and fan controller. This case allows you to install a fan controller and still shut the door. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am about that. Not very many doors will let the fan controller knobs fit, but this one sure does.”

OCZ DDR Booster Diagnostic Device
InsaneTek :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“We recently reviewed the OCZ PC4000 Gold memory, which was undoubtedly one of the best performing PC4000+ memory available. It overclocked extremely well and provided excellent performance. However, in order to reach the insane overclock, we had to up the juice and give it a good 3v in order for it to start performing. Most of the motherboards produced today only give enthusiasts the option of VDIMM up to 2.8v-2.9v. Other than utilizing voltage modifications, there is no way to increase voltage to memory. OCZ strives to give overclockers a better chance at improving overclocking results. They have made everyone’s dream piece of hardware–the DDR Booster.”

AOpen H420 MicroATX Case Review
PCStats :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“The jet black Aopen H420 is a compact desktop chassis intended for use with MicroATX or FlexATX motherboards. It is large enough that full height AGP and PCI cards can be installed too. Depending on the application, the Aopen H420 is versatile enough to be laid horizontally, or standing in a vertical orientation. Behind a little plastic locking cover along the bottom of the bezel is a set of common multimedia ports; a headphone and mic jack, and two USB2.0 ports.”

Ultra X-Connect 500W PSU
Phoronix :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“Ultra Products is a company none of us here at Phoronix had heard of until recently. Ultra Products manufacturers the Ultra X-Connect 500W PSU which is the first fully modular consumer power supply. We were initially impressed with this power supply’s features, but can we remain impressed with the Ultra X-Connect when we take a look at its performance? Read the review to find out.”

Zalman Poweroid TNN 500A PC / Poweroid Silent PC
Hexus :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“Quietness is generally a subjective issue, yet I feel confident in stating that the Zalman / Poweroid combination can’t be heard above normal background noise. It’s nice to hear birds chirp 30 feet away. It’s nice not to have to dial the stereo up when listening to music, and it’s nice that such quietness can be achieved without having to compromise performance.”

Crucial Ballistix PC4000 Memory Review
GruntvillE :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“With the Ram out of the static bags, you can see the cool Ballistix print that Crucial added to the heat spreaders. The black PCB looks cool from this view and is a nice added touch. Although most of these features are hidden when the RAM is tucked in the slots, at least you know Crucial went to all extremes to make this RAM appealing to the performance user.”

Thermaltake XTunner – IR Remote Fan Control Device
Bjorn3D :: Monday, August 23, 2004
“Ahhhh. The remote control. Found in the hand of many Americans every evening and weekend after a hard work week. This device has brought us comfort and efficiency since its inception, and it doesn’t show any signs of stopping anytime soon. The old style televisions required you to actually get up and walk to the television just to change the channel. How horrible. ”

Apricorn EZ Bus Mini 20GB Review
Everything USB :: Monday, August 23, 2004
“Apricorn EZ Bus Mini is a Hi-Speed USB bus-powered hard drive housing a Toshiba 1.8″ 20GB hard drive. While being just one among a plethora of similar products, it has everything a road warrior hopes to find on a mobile hard drive, including a disaster recovery CD, file/folder synchronization, encryption software and a generous three-year warranty.”

The Complete BIOS Optimization Guide Rev. 8.0 @ ARP
Tech ARP :: Sunday, August 22, 2004
“Ever peeked into the BIOS and got your brains scrambled with all the mumbo-jumbo? Maybe it’s time to check out the most comprehensive guide on 250 BIOS options!”

Read it here.

MTB Folding@home Guide
MODTHEBOX! :: Sunday, August 22, 2004

“In short, there really isn’t a good reason NOT to run Folding@home. The research has the potential to benefit everyone; be it a friend, a relative, or anyone affected by the aforementioned diseases. Typical computing activities such as surfing the web, checking email, and office productivity applications use 5-10% of the capacity of today’s CPUs. This means that at least 90% of the time, your processor is doing nothing, even while you are working away. Folding@home takes these otherwise wasted CPU cycles, and puts them to good use.”

Read it here.

ThermalTake X Jog USB Fan and Light Kit @ PimpedOutCases.net
PimpedOutCases :: Sunday, August 22, 2004
“As far as build quality is concerned, I was amazed to see how well the light and fan were constructed. I must admit I had a preconceived expectation for them to be made cheaply based on the gimmicky nature of the product. The flex-necks hold their shape well, and both the light and fan are terminated with metal ends.”

A 64-bit app in the real world
Short-Media :: Sunday, August 22, 2004
There is discussion, rumor and banter that 64-bit technology will alleviate some of the bottlenecks. Many hope but some are still waiting for a definitive answer to the 64-bit question. Is it for us and is it better? Here is a real world application…giving real world results.

Read it here.

Arctic Cooling ATI and NV Silencers
InsaneTek :: Sunday, August 22, 2004

“Arctic Cooling is well known for their excellent and quiet cooling gear. They have always built well performing heatsinks, fans, and other cooling devices that offer excellent performance for overclockers while creating minimal noise. It was the Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer that made them popular among enthusiasts. This cooler was arguably the best video card cooler in the market and gave fierce competition to the likes of Thermaltake and Zalman. This cooler was the perfect cooling solution, but many wished that Arctic Cooling would somehow integrate copper and cooling for the ram chips as well. Many also wished they could have made Silencers that were available for ALL different video cards. Well Arctic Cooling has answered all of your pleas by doing just that and so much more.”

Check it out here.

Seasonic PowerAngel Power Monitor Review
Mikhailtech :: Sunday, August 22, 2004

I’ve wanted to get one of these forever and just in time Seasonic released their newest doodad, the PowerAngel power monitor. As the name implies, this simple to use contraption monitors energy usage in a variety of ways. Its primary purpose (according to Seasonic) is to optimize power usage in the workplace whether it’s a small business, a factory or an enthusiast’s basement. Though it’s not a product for everyone, die hard techies and IT workers alike will find this tool quite useful.

Corsair TwinX PC3200 XL Pro (2-2-2-5) DDR Memory @ TheTechLounge
The Tech Lounge :: Sunday, August 22, 2004
“Corsair introduced their PC3200 XL memory last June. The modules are built using Samsung chips which have timings of 2-2-2 at DDR400 speeds. Not only do these chips allow for extremely low latencies at DDR400, but they also have plenty of headroom, allowing for clock speeds in excess of DDR500! The entry of this memory into the market not only signified the return of high-speed, low-latency memory, but also the opening of the floodgates; the drowning of the market in 2-2-2 modules.

Soon after Corsair’s introduction, most other major memory manufacturers followed suit. After Corsair’s entry, Mushkin and OCZ were among the first to bring their own 2-2-2 memory to the market. Soon after, everyone and their mother had their own memory based on the new Samsung chips. Well, everyone but Crucial, who used similarly rated Micron chips for their PC3200. We have gotten our hands on a few different flavors of this new low latency memory, and today we will be looking at a 1 GB set of Corsair’s TwinX PC3200 XL Pro which is rated to use timings of 2-2-2-5 at DDR400 speeds.”

Check it out here

Bio-Hazard Custom WaterBox Project
SystemCooling :: Saturday, August 21, 2004

“I’ve been messing around with water cooling for a little while now. I started with a bone stock Corsair Hydrocool 200EX. And being the kind of person that I am, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. So I started modding it little by little and ended up with a pretty good performing LITTLE box. That’s when I came up with the idea to try and build a system something like the Hydrocool but without most of the bells and whistles and with a bit better performance.”

Logisys Liquid Neon Thunder Kit Review
Mikhailtech :: Saturday, August 21, 2004
Like other lights the Thunder kit is plug & play. While it’s not as bright as cathodes, it more than makes up for it with its coolness factor. The tube has a steady green glow while brighter spirals go crazy within. These spirals don’t have a constant pattern, but instead react to the presence of nearby objects. Holding the tube up in the air will create a very slow moving effect; gripping it in your hand will make the spirals move a lot faster. It’s very entertaining to see them speed up and slow down as you move your hand closer or farther away. It doesn’t seem to be reactive to sound or light though, so don’t expect any synchronization with games. Here’s a short video showing the light in action.

Plextor PX-712SA SATA DVD±RW Writer @ Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Saturday, August 21, 2004
As serial ATA (SATA) hard drives grew in popularity over the past year or so, many users who fancy SATA’s small cable and simple interface (no jumper) started wondering when SATA optical drives would hit the market. It makes sense, right? You get so happy that you can toss those large ribbon or round IDE cables in place of your new SATA cable for that new SATA hard drive, but then your joy is quickly diminished as you realize you still have to live with your optical drive’s big, fat cable.

Intel’s 3.4GHz ‘Nocona’ Xeon @ HEXUS.net
Hexus :: Friday, August 20, 2004
Snip: “Look around the web for pre-Nocona Xeon vs Opteron articles and you’ll generally find just one style of conclusion; the Opteron is great, the Xeon less so. Therefore testing the Nocona Xeon, based as it is on the desktop Prescott core which affords it a faster system bus, new cache layout, SSE3, tweaked HyperThreading and access to DDR400 memory officially for the first time, was a means to see if the update was worth Intel’s time and effort.

And my opinion is yes, very much so. While it doesn’t overtake and outrun the Opteron at any point in our benchmarks, there’s seemingly a lot of improvement to be had from bumping up the new entry-level Xeon’s basic specs to 800MHz bus with 1MB L2. 3400MHz doesn’t do it any harm either.”

Crucial Ballistix PC5300 DDR2 Memory Review
PCStats :: Friday, August 20, 2004
“And so, without further delay, PCstats is testing out a pair of Crucial’s brand spanking new Ballistix PC5300 DDR2 memory. Each heatspreader encapsulated DDR2 module is 512MB each in size, and features sleek black PCB shielded by orange aluminum heatspreaders! By default the DDR-2 Ballistix memory is capable of running up to 333 MHz (or PC5300 speeds) while maintaining 4-4-4 memory timings at a voltage of 1.9V. It appears as though Crucial is not to wary of consumers raising the voltage a bit to reach those higher speeds either. The memory timings are on the conservative side but then again so are most PC5300 DIMM’s on the market.”

Antec Notebook Cooler Review
Mikhailtech :: Friday, August 20, 2004
Two low profile 70mm fans provide the airflow but unfortunately they suck air from the bottom of the laptop and exhaust it from the bottom of the cooler. In general, sucking air out is noticeably less effective than blowing air onto a hot surface, as we’ll see shortly. Pumping a total of 31.6 CFM (ideally, not practically mind you) at 25.9dBA is definitely noticeable. While it’s not that much, decibels are relative measurements and since laptops are significantly quieter than their desktop counterparts (largely in part due to the lack of fans), even 26dBA seems a bit loud.

Arctic Cooling ATI & NV Silencers @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Friday, August 20, 2004

Summary: “When one focuses upon cooling their computer system, more often than not the main focus is the CPU. With recent graphics cards getting warmer due to higher clock and memory speeds, stock cooling just isn’t satisfactory any more. Today we have the privilege of presenting to you two of the latest VGA silencers from Arctic Cooling, the ATI Silencer 2 and NV Silencer 3.”

SimpleTech Nitro PC4000 Dual Channel Kit Review @ GruntvillE.com
GruntvillE :: Friday, August 20, 2004

“The SimpleTech package is similar to most matched pair product packaging. It encases two golden modules and has all the features of the modules listed minus one; the timings. Other than the rated speed of the modules, this is by far the most important bit of information users will be looking for.. Nowhere can you find the timings of the modules; not on the package and not even on the site. This missing piece had the three of us searching high and low to find them but it was nowhere to be seen. I fired off an email to the SimpleTech folks and they provided us with the timings but I feel, as I’m sure most of you do, that this information should be included on both the packaging and website.”

Xtrac Pro HS & Hammer @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Friday, August 20, 2004
“Have you ever been able to find a mousing surface which suits all of the aspects you desire, from the size to its texture? In this review we will present to you the Xtrac Hammer and Pro HS.”

read the article!

Thermaltake Tsunami Dream Aluminum Case (VA3000BWA) @ Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Friday, August 20, 2004
The Thermaltake Tsunami… what can I say? When I saw it on Thermaltake’s site, I instantly knew I wanted one. It’s a very nicely designed case and well thought out, with a totally different front that makes it stand out from all other Thermaltake (Tt from here on out) cases. I’ve been using probably one of the most popular ‘clone designs’ for the past year or more in the form of PCToys’ CaseMax 610 (also seen from Chieftec/Chenming/etc…the list just goes on and on). The Tt Tsunami design is a nice departure from this overly common design.

click here to read the article

Swiftech MCW5002-64T Thermoelectric Waterblock
SystemCooling :: Friday, August 20, 2004

“Swiftech is one of the few manufacturers that offer actively cooled waterblocks for extreme cooling. Today we are going to take an in depth look at the Swiftech MCW5002 series of thermoelectric waterblocks, which incorporate a Peltier device to actively cool a CPU well below ambient room air temperatures. The MCW5002 series includes three different mounting options for AMD Athlon XP (socket A), AMD Athlon 64/Opteron (socket 754/939) and Intel P4 (socket 478).””

Build Your Own Home Theatre PC Part 1 @ MODTHEBOX.COM
MODTHEBOX! :: Friday, August 20, 2004

“The first step in the process of building this system would be to select a suitable HTPC enclosure. Case selection is rather subjective and just about everyone will give you an opinion on the type of enclosure to use. Budget consumers can minimize costs by using anything from a standard desktop case, mid-tower or server case. For those individuals who consider themselves HTPC purists, there are HTPC style enclosures that have been designed to resemble the look and feel of stereo or home theatre equipment.”

OCZ 2GB PC3200 Performance Series Dual-Channel Kit @ HEXUS.net
Hexus :: Thursday, August 19, 2004

“If you can honestly find a meaningful use for 2GB of unbuffered memory, OCZ’s £400 dual-channel pack is as good as any. We’d pair it with AMD’s new S939 Athlon 64 FX-53 and ATI’s Radeon X800 XT PE. That would lead to a multi-purpose system that’s equally at home with the most demanding of games and adept at handling professional image and rendering applications. For most users, though, it’s one of those options you select when deciding on your dream system. 2GB of system RAM has its uses, sure, but they are few and far between for most of us.”

Xoxide Bio-X Case Review @ 3DX
3dXtreme :: Thursday, August 19, 2004

“Today 3DXtreme is taking a look at a new Case from our friends over at Xoxide, the Xoxide Bio-X Case in black. The Bio-X is a slick looking budget Case with a side panel window sporting the Bio-Hazard logo. Another attractive feature of the Bios-X Case is on the front of the Case where decorative screen covers are backlit with multicoler LEDs that alternate patterns and colors. This Case retails for $49.99 without a Power Supply Unit.”

Logisys Cold Cathode Kits Review @ Mikhailtech.com
Mikhailtech :: Thursday, August 19, 2004

“Each inverter can power two bulbs and has cutouts on top for ventilation (the electronics inside can get a bit warm). It still makes a tiny bit of noise when working, but nothing noticeable more than a few inches away. The provided velcro strips are cut to size and have adhesive backing for easy application, allowing you to mount the lights anywhere in a case. The cables are good length so placing two cathodes on opposite ends of a case is no problem. The molex connector is pass-through and is wired to a PCI slot with a simple on/off switch. Even better, this switch is removable so if you aren’t satisfied with it being mounted in the rear of the case you can easy place it anywhere else with screw holes or plain old tape. As for the bulbs, they’re rated for 30,000 hours of operation or approximately 3.5 years of continuous use. Assuming you don’t have your computer on 24/7, these could very well last you into the next decade.”

Zalman Reserator 1 Fanless External Water Cooling Kit Video Review @ 3dGameMan.com
3dgameman :: Thursday, August 19, 2004

“The Zalman Reserator 1 is a water cooling kit that stands apart from most. It’s an external unit which is very easy to install and doesn’t clutter up the inside of the case. Performance equals any high quality heatsink with a fast fan, but there is one big difference: this unit is virtually silent. Also, the overall design and large stance screams cool! Watch the Video to find out more…”

Asetek KT03-L20 WaterChill Kit Review
Overclocker Café :: Wednesday, August 18, 2004

“The Asetek kit is billed as an entry level kit including everything you need to water cool your rig. To be quite honest, the absence of a reservoir and relay isn’t exactly what you want to do in an “entry level” kit to make things easy. Hey Asetek, throw in the extra parts, jack up the price accordingly and eliminate any potential frustration and confusion the “entry” end user may have.”

Thermaltake XTunner Remote Controlled Fan Controller Review @ Tweaknews.net
Tweaknews :: Wednesday, August 18, 2004

“I have to admit to you, for ~US$20, you really can’t go wrong with the XTunner. Sure there are other options on the market that have a boatload more feature and capabilities, but they also have the much higher pricetag to deal with. The XTunner allows the computer enthusiast to finally get control over their computer’s case fans and with the slight touch of a remote control have them adjusted perfectly for their current work environment and load.”

Cooler Master Cool Drive 6 @ Viper Lair
ViperLair :: Wednesday, August 18, 2004
“If you need the cooling, the device does the job well, plus it has the added benefit of controlling your fans, monitoring temperatures as well as allowing you to keep an eye on your hard drive storage space and speed.”

Case Modding Contest @ InsaneTek
InsaneTek :: Wednesday, August 18, 2004
“This month’s InsaneTek contest giveaway will be based on the case modding theme. For those who have or will do case mods, be sure to join in on the fun. There are a total of 4 prizes and each prize can go towards your next case modding project”

Silverstone SST-FP54 VFD Display Review @ Short-Media.com
Short-Media :: Wednesday, August 18, 2004
“Sundial Micro’s economic answer for a highly-configurable, low-content data display device that’s easy to install and configure was to put the SilverStone SST-FP54-B VFD display in our hands for a test drive.”

OCIA.net has posted a review of the Logitech Z-2200 2.1 Speakers
OCIA :: Wednesday, August 18, 2004

“Once upon a time, I owned a set of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Speakers. I purchased these speakers just over a year ago, dropping off nearly $ 200 USD for the setup. I was very pleased with the performance of these speakers, that is, until the left channel died a few weeks ago. It is just my luck for the speakers to malfunction just a month shy of the 1 year warranty. So then began my search for a suitable replacement. I had to look no further than Logitech for said replacement. Boasting 200 watt RMS, 400 watt peak power, would the Logitech Z-2200’s have what it takes to compete with my beloved Klipsch system, or dare I say, outperform them?”

Thermaltake Silent PurePower TWV480 Total Watts Viewer Review @ Hardware Pacers
Hardware-Pacers :: Wednesday, August 18, 2004

“As back as some of us can remember, we always tried to bring out our computer at its peak performance which sometimes involved overclocking certain parts. When we overclocked such as the CPU, it drained more power, however we did not how much. With today\\\’s new power hungry CPUs and especially with extreme cooling such as with vapor, it is very important to monitor if there is enough power provided for the system. Today Thermaltake introduces a new revolutionary product that displays how many watts are used up on the front panel. As we go further into the review, we will finally see various power consumptions when the computer is idle or fully active at its overclocked state.”

Enermax Noisetaker EG475AX 475 Watt PSU
SystemCooling :: Tuesday, August 17, 2004

“It is safe to say that the EG475AX is one of those enthusiast items: Sleek Metallic Blue color, Gold-plated fan grilles, Silver mesh cable sleeving, Gold-Plated Power connections, Dual cooling Fans with user-adjustable speed, special 4 Pin Molex for high-end GPUs, copper-plated case to reduce EMI, to name a few. Other features include automatic input voltage and frequency sensing, Full ATX 1.3 Compliance including dual 12V rails, SATA-Compliant 3.3V/5V/12V Power Connections, Fan Monitoring Header, Thermally Controlled Fan speed, as well as Overvoltage and Overcurrent protection are built into the unit as well.”

Counter-Strike: Source Beta Pre-Loading Phase 2
Valve Software :: Tuesday, August 17, 2004
“Pre-loading of the Counter-Strike: Source Beta to owners of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and the ATI\HL2 bundle begins today. On Wednesday, this second phase of the beta will open and the beta will be playable to this group.”

For more information on the Counter-Strike: Source beta, please visit this link

Thermaltake XTunner Remote Control Rheobus Review
GruntvillE :: Tuesday, August 17, 2004

“A click on the remote and an immediate response to the next lowest setting. Hey, I am getting to like this! Each successive push of the button results in a lower fan setting. The corresponding LEDs turn off with each click of the button. The changes in fan speed are quite noticeable. The lowest setting was really a comfortable humm. The remote works from quite a distance and the angles seem to provide good response. Except for the purpose of review photographing, I have all my rigs below the desk and had no problems controlling the fans at all.”

AOpen DRW8800 8X DVD Burner
ViperLair :: Tuesday, August 17, 2004

“AOpen has delivered an adequate drive for those of us who require +/- support, and at a very nice price point of $75 USD. Although the drive is not as fast as the ASUS, it is a suitable drive for those of us who don’t burn DVDs 24×7 as the MIAA thinks we all do.”

Arctic Silver and Nanotherm kiss and make up: Cooperation announced!
Madshrimps :: Tuesday, August 17, 2004
“Their upcoming new thermal interface might well be a mix of the both company’s current top products. Nanotherm’s PCM+ uses phase-change to conduct heat and combined with Arctic Silver’s experience in the sector things are looking promising.”

Universal 3.3V VDIMM Mod
Phoronix :: Tuesday, August 17, 2004

“Sick of low vdimm voltages? Tired of complicated Vdimm mods that aren’t stable or that max out at 3V? Get to the heart of the matter with this universal 3.3V VDIMM Mod at Phoronix!”

Antec FanPal Review
Mikhailtech :: Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Like similar geek gifts of this genre, the FanPal is essentially an 80mm fan with a fancy desktop mount used to complement your already rainbowed PC. It comes in a shelf-like package though copper inserts prevent resealing after it’s been opened. There’s only one flavor to choose from: this silver/aluminum red-green-blue lit doohickey with a grill Spiderman fans are sure to appreciate. It also has an adjustable stand.

The Radeon 9800 Pro To Radeon 9800XT Mod Guide Rev. 5.0 Post
Tech ARP :: Tuesday, August 17, 2004

“Even with the introduction of a new class of GPUs from ATI and NVIDIA, your Radeon 9800 Pro card is still something to be reckoned with! In fact, many Radeon 9800 Pro cards can be given a further boost in performance by modding them into full Radeon 9800XT cards!”

5000th Forum Member Giveaway
GideonTech :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“We’ve reached the 5000th member on our forums. So to kick off another 5000, we’re giving away a tasty Kingston PC4300 1GB DDR Dual Channel Kit.”

512MB OCZ Premiere PC3200 Memory
TechFreaks :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“At $94 a stick from NewEgg, I was able to get an easy 300MHz overclock resulting in a noticeable performance gain. For those who don’t OC, I had no problems running the RAM at more aggressive timings. The Premiere line is a welcomed step up from most Value RAM while keeping an affordable price-tag.”

AeroCool Jetmaster Jr Gaming Case Review
MODTHEBOX! :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“The aesthetic appeal of the AeroCool Jetmaster Jr Gaming Case is achieved when the system is completely powered on and the lights are turned off. The bottom portion of the front bezel which looks like a jet engine is illuminated by a red center jewel as well as a 120mm Quad LED fan. The Quad LED 80mm fan equally lights up the laser cut “T3″ grill giving it an eerie glow. Two additional 80mm Quad LED fans placed on the rear of the case would finish off both the cooling as well as the lighting required for the case interior.”

The definitive guide to benchmarking with DOOM 3
TweakTown :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“Doom 3 is finally here and we are tipping many gamers around the world are dieing to benchmark their system with one of the most anticipated games to hit computer screens ever. We’ve posted the definitive guide to benchmarking with DOOM 3 which includes information on exactly how to benchmark the game and the issues to look out for. It’s benchmark time!”

ASUS P5GD2 i915P & P5AD2 i925X Premium
Hexus :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“Intel’s 900-series of chipsets attempt to modernise motherboard design from almost every angle. The cost of such modernisation is mediocre speed and, perhaps, limited overclockability. ASUS has done a good job in releasing a couple of boards that are packed to the rafters with useful features, from dual Gigabit LAN to integrated WiFi. Given the P5GD2 Premium’s P5AD2 Alderwood-matching performance, it has to be the pick of the two. So if you absolutely want to run the latest cutting-edge kit, it’s a good a choice as any. My reservations, however, lie more with Intel’s chipset than with ASUS’ efforts.”

Thermalright XP-120 Heatsink Review
Short-Media :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“Thermalright has come back with a vengeance. Their latest heatsink, the XP-120, is truly unique.”

Kingwin KH-525U Drive Enclosure
SystemCooling :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“Portable drives have been around for some time now. Portable CD burners, portable hard drives. And as my esteemed colleague Howard noted in an earlier review, it’s much more cost effective to buy an enclosure and add your own drive to it. But today, just having a portable drive is not enough. We work hard at making our rigs look good. Why should we be saddled with a butt ugly drive enclosure? Well, today we’ll take a look at a new part from Kingwin that not only will support your drives, but can look good while doing it.”

Shuttle AN51R Mainboard Review
Overclocker Café :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“The CMOS clear button on the rear I/O panel was a pleasant find as were the on/off and reset buttons beside the panel connectors. Its layout was exceptional. Connector and cable plugs are grouped so as to avoid unnecessary clutter. This is especially demonstrated by the 3-pin Molex connector fan header placements.”

ASUS DRW-1604P 4X DL and 16X DVD±R Worldwide Exclusive
CDRInfo :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“The ASUS DRW-1604P supports 16X DVD±R, 4X DVD±RW and 4X DVD+R DL writing according to the official specifications. As a CD recorder, it supports 32X CD-R and 24X US-RW writing along with 40X CD-ROM reading.”

Swiftech MCX159-A North Bridge Cooler Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“The MCX is an impressive piece compared with the stock cooler. The base is a solid hunk of copper and has a good heft to it. There is no doubting the mass here, as it easily outweighs two other active coolers in my possession. The copper base is home to 96 vertical rods that penetrate the copper base. The vertical rods look a lot like machine screws with the heads cut off, and at first I thought this was a little strange. As I thought about it though, I realized that the threading on the rods is an excellent way to increase the surface area for heat dissipation. With 96-1″ screws, you get a lot of linear inches of surface area (someone care to calculate the total surface area?). The rods are topped by a tall fan with big, broad blades. The kit includes the cooler, mounting hardware, instructions, thermal paste, and the fan.”

Raidmax Cobra 822 Gaming Case Review
Madshrimps :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“Often considered just an option for cheap budget pc enclosures, Raidmax is trying to break into a very recent niche in the market – the mid-range gaming case, complete with a pre-modded window, glowing front door, and led fan on the side.”

Beginners Guides: Firewall Setup and Configuration
PCStats :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“To prepare yourself for today’s Internet environment, you need the holy trinity of computer security: effective antivirus/anti-spyware software, regular updates and a firewall. We’ll be looking at the latter today, in detail. In this guide, we will walk you through every procedure involved in setting up and configuring a hardware or software firewall to protect your computer or network. We will also cover how to circumvent the problems firewalls can often cause to applications, and tackle the issue of hosting a game, web or FTP site on a firewall protected system. In short, this should be the last firewall article you’ll need to read. As for the first article you should read, our original guide to firewalls and Internet security contains more information on how firewalls work and the kind of threats you face on the web.”

AMD Athlon 64 3000+, Budget Gamer’s Perspective
ViperLair :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“I’d imagine not a whole lot of you are ready to drop $1200 for a CPU, motherboard and video card combo. For the price of the Socket-939, you can pick up an A64 3000+, K8T800 based motherboard, and a decent mid-ranged video card. For gamers on a budget, I think the choice is obvious.”

ePower Lion EP-450P5-L1
Phoronix :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“Bothered by noise? Well, now you don’t have to be! Introducing the ePower EP-450P5-L1’lion’ power supply. ePower has designed this power supply specifically for noise reduction. It’s incredibly large internal heatsinks help to keep it cool at the lowest fan speeds.”

Smart Drive 2002 Silent & Cool HDD Enclosure
SystemCooling :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“We all know hard drives can get hot and become noisy at certain times. The heat issues may not be as big of an annoyance as the excessive noise. And combating the noise is not always as easy as getting rid of the heat. Today we’ll be taking a look at new product supplied to us by the good people at Sharka Computers called the Smart Drive 2002C. The Smart Drive claims to be able to silence that hard drive crunching and rattling and at the same time keep it cool.”

Gigabyte GV-NX57128D PCI-E Videocard Review
PCStats :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“The Gigabyte GV-NX57128D video card is a PCI Express x16 solution that is based on the GeForcePCX 5750 GPU. The blue-PCB card is backed up by 128MB of TSOP-II 3.6ns Samsung DRAM, and it supports S-Video out, DVI and analog connections. The card doesn’t require any extra power connectors incidently.”

Enermax ATX Sea Hawk CS-656TA Case
3dXtreme :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“The Sea Hawk has many of the features we are used to seeing on Cases priced much higher. The integrated fan bus controller just adds to the allure with this case, purchasing a fan controller separately would cost the user at least another $25. Also consider the other features we’ve seen – side panel window, backlit temperature LCD and the finish and it’s easy to see why the Enermax Sea Hawk impressed us. If you’re in the market for a new case and looking for something affordable the Sea Hawk may be just what you have been looking for!”

News Flash – Samsung ML-2152W Wireless Monochrome Laser Printer Review
Bjorn3D :: Friday, August 27, 2004
“With all these colour printers out on the market, who has time for black and white anymore? Well, we made time to check this one out. It’s got some great features including wireless connectivity.”

News Flash – Samsung ML-2152W Wireless Monochrome Laser Printer Review
Futurelooks :: Friday, August 27, 2004
“With all these colour printers out on the market, who has time for black and white anymore? Well, we made time to check this one out. It’s got some great features including wireless connectivity.”

Steelpad S&S Review
ASE Labs :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

” I have long been a fan of Steelpad and Icemat, they are the only pads that I have reviewed. While I did not like the original metal Steelpad, the plastic ones are great. The S&S continues the plastic line and offers more than the 4D including a larger surface area and a smaller height. Let’s get right into it. ”

LapWorks Laptop Desk UltraLite Review
Hardware-Pacers :: Saturday, August 21, 2004

“The invention of the laptop, or notebook computer made mobile computing possible to all who needed it. One could take his or her laptop from the desk easily and use it anywhere. Unfortunately, though mobility was gained, the comfort and stability of the ‘desktop experience’ was lost. In 2001, LapWorks, Inc., introduced its original Laptop Desk, which provided a secure platform for mobile laptop use. Now, LapWorks adds the LapTop Desk UltraLite to its lineup: a sleek, stylish, lightweight desk designed to give lightweight notebook users a comfortable computing experience—on or off the desk.”

Sapphire Toxic X800 PRO VIVO Review
Beyond3D :: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

“Beyond the cooling system, and the obvious PCB colour change, the rest of the board appears to adhere to the ATI reference design. Removing the heatsink from the board reveals Samsung 1.6ns GDDR3 RAM, which should be capable of a maximum operating speed of 600MHz, which well beyond the rates that even the “APE” overclocking runs it at.”

PowerColor Radeon 9250 Videocard Review
PCStats :: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

“We usually focus on higher end parts here at PCStats.com, but in ths review we’ll be evaluating the little PowerColor ATI Radeon 9250 videocard. The Powercolor Radeon 9250 retails for just $62 CDN ($47 US), and does not come with much else other than a driver CD, CyberLink DVD software suite, a S-Video-to-composite converter, composite-to-composite cable and a half height mounting bracket great. For $47USD, that’s not bad!”

HIS Excalibur X600XT VIVO Limited Edition
ViperLair :: Tuesday, August 31, 2004

“Gaming performance is mid range which is what the card is designed for. Modern games will run at about 1024×768 very happily with mild AA and AF applied. Older games will have no trouble, but the latest games such as FarCry and Doom III will push the card to its limits. If you are serious about playing either of those two then you would be better served by looking at a higher specification card.”

PowerColor Radeon 9250 Review @ FastLaneHW.com
FastLaneHW :: Sunday, August 29, 2004
Description: While I recommend spending at least $150 or $200 on a video card if you want to really get into games, what about those of us who aren’t into the gaming scene as much, and whose gaming endeavors may be limited to playing the occasional round of UT or Quake 3? What if you don’t even care about games, and just want a video card with a few nice features for a cheap price? Why should those people spend $150-200 on a video card? That’s why today we’re looking at ATi’s Radeon 9250, on a board made by our friends at PowerColor.

Review Sapphire Tech X600 Pro VIVO 256MB Video Card @ PimpRig
PimpRig :: Wednesday, August 25, 2004

“The package is as flashy and eye-catching as they come. I really liked the inclusion of the window on the back so you can take a peek at the card itself. If the extra 128MB over their competitors don’t work then maybe the sexy, black PCB will.”

Logitech Z-2200 Speakers Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“Despite a few shortcomings, the Z-2200s are a safe buy in my book. The sound quality is more than worth the price, and if you only need a 2.1 system, you only need this system. They’ll handle anything you can throw at them, and will fill most rooms with sound quite nicely. The only downsides are the hardwired satellite cables, which unfortunately limit placement of the sats. However, the combination of an easy to setup system, and most importantly, excellent sound quality without having to compensate by over-adjusting an EQ, makes this one a winner – you won’t be disappointed.”

MSI PCX5750-TD128
ViperLair :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“With the ability to output to two monitors, as well as TVs via S-Video, this wouldn’t be a bad choice for media professionals who normally rely on these features. Otherwise, those of you serious about gaming, you’re better off looking towards a VPU/GPU more suited for the task of playing over 1024×768.”

HIS Excalibur AIW 9600
Bjorn3D :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the HIS Excalibur AIW 9600XT TURBO, a All In Wonder card based on the Radeon 9600XT with both FM and TV and good performance. But what if you don’t need the speed and want an AIW-card that not only is cheaper but also quieter and which would fit perfectly into a SFF system? HIS has the answer for you with their HIS Excalibur AIW 9600, the card I am reviewing today.”

PowerColor Radeon 9250 128MB Graphics Card
SystemCooling :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“In the recent months we’ve seen dozens of reviews showing the top of the line ATI and nVidia cards that can push your gaming experience to levels that were only dreamed of half a year ago. But these dream FPS pushers come with a heavy price tag, elevated noise levels and even PCI slot hogging sizes. Most of us have absolutely no problems with using and spending our hard earned money on these types of graphic cards. But what if you don’t need the speed limit shattering FPS, don’t have money tree in the back yard, can’t deal with the extra noise and are limited by space. All you want is a quality, fanless, stable graphics card that will deliver superb image quality at a very affordable price. Well PowerColor might just have the perfect piece of hardware for you; enter the PowerColor 9250 graphics card powered by the ATI Radeon 9250.”

MSI GeForce 6800 Reviewed
VR-Zone :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“Overclocking the MSI GeForce 6800 yielded some very interesting results. From a stock clock speed of 325MHz and stock memory speed of 700MHz, we were able to overclock the card to a clock speed of 376MHz and memory speed of 798MHz. This is a 51MHz increase in core speed and 98MHz in memory speed. By all accounts this is a very good overclock considering the card’s single-slot design and relatively quiet operation.”

ATI Catalyst 4.8 and 4.9 BETA Doom 3 Performance Analysis
TweakTown :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“Last week ATI caused a stir in the enthusiast community by releasing a “Doom 3 Hotfix” driver labeled 4.9 BETA for users of Radeon graphics cards which promised increased OpenGL performance for the new game. They also released their official Catalyst 4.8 drivers which promise even more performance increases. Follow Shane as we benchmark all the new drivers and see all the results for yourself.”

GeForce 6800 GT PCI Express Review
Beyond3D :: Tuesday, August 24, 2004

“NVIDIA’s PCX line of boards, which featured AGP GeForce FX’s bridged with the HSI chip, all had very different layouts from their standard AGP counterparts, which was required due to the discrete HSI chip on the board which resulted in the core and memory needed to be shifted around the board. With the high memory speeds and 256-bit bus of GeForce 6800, board space and positioning is at a premium as the trace paths and lengths are fairly critical, hence a discrete HSI solution may have been difficult to implement.”

Albatron Trinity PC5900 PCI Express Videocard Review
PCStats :: Saturday, August 21, 2004
“With high end PCI Express videocards in short supply, those of you looking for the best performance may want to cast an eye towards nVIDIA’s GeForcePCX 5900 series. The videocard in question is the Albatron Trinity PC5900, which is obviously based on the GeForcePCX 5900 GPU. The Trinity PC5900 videocard is powered with 128MB of DDR RAM, and supports both analog and DVI monitors.”

MSI PCX 5750 Reviewed @ VR-Zone Hardware
VR-Zone :: Friday, August 20, 2004
“The MSI PCX 5750 does have two things going for it: a great bundle and good overclockability. However, those two features are nice, but not nice enough to warrant you to buy this graphics card. Bottom line is that if you are going to be gaming on your new PCI Express system, any card based on the PCX 5750 is not what you should buy.”

MSI RX600XT-TD128 PCI Express VIdeocard Review
PCStats :: Friday, August 20, 2004
“The MSI RX600XT-TD128 flew through all the benchmarks we ran, and performed quite well at 1024×768. Higher resolutions might be out of the question depending on the application, but if you find the card a bit slow, simply overclock it. Our particular card was able to hit a very respectable 610 MHz core, and 438 MHz memory. Despite the added stress, the MSI RX600XT-TD128 is completely silent during operation, and you will not hear it when it’s installed into a case.”

HIS Excalibur X800 Pro IceQ II @ Viper Lair
ViperLair :: Friday, August 20, 2004
“This card is fast, very fast. With only four high end cards to choose from (X800 Pro, XT, 6800GT, Ultra) this card should be on your very short list. With stock overclocking that for sure can’t be beat, this is surely a winner.”

Sapphire Radeon X800 XT Graphics Card Review
TweakTown :: Tuesday, August 17, 2004

“Mike has posted a comprehensive look at the brand new Sapphire Radeon X800 XT graphics card. After providing a complete guided tour of the product, he compares performance against an older Radeon 9800 Pro in a bunch of benchmarking applications including Doom 3 to decide if it is worth your time upgrading to ATI’s latest flagship VPU product.”

HIS Radeon 9550 VIVO 128MB
Envy News :: Tuesday, August 17, 2004

“The 9550 is not the purchase that hardcore gamers will consider. Casual gamers will enjoy the fact that at the “low” stock speeds, games such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Unreal Tournament should play very well in moderate resolutions. Where this card excels is in the Home Theatre PC niche. The output to TV, especially HDTV, provides a crystal-clear picture that must be seen to be believed. Tack on the video-in capabilities and a software bundle that makes the whole video experience a much easier affair, and you’ve got a great value for not much money.”

Albatron GeForce PCX 5750 Reviewed
VR-Zone :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“Going into this review, I really did not know what to expect when overclocking the Albatron PCX 5750. The GeForce FX 5700 Ultra gave us good results when overclocked, but nothing spectacular. The same can be said of the Albatron PCX 5750. From a core speed of 425MHz and memory speed of 500MHz, we were able to overclock the core 85MHz and memory 115MHz. These were good overclocks by all accounts, and we’ll be using our overclocked speeds to test against stock frequencies and the ATI Radeon X600 XT.”

HIS Excalibur X800 XT IceQ II VIVO LIMITED EDITION
Bjorn3D :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“I always admire companies that try to do something special with their products. HIS is one of those companies. With their IceQ line of ATI cards, they have gained a very good reputation. Today, I am looking at the king of their cards, the HIS Excalibur X800 XT IceQ II VIVO LIMITED EDITION. Yes, a long and complicated name, but somehow it does fit with this card since it is anything but simple.”

HIS 9550 VIVO Review
GruntvillE :: Thursday, August 05, 2004

“Built upon the 9500 VPU, this card should also be quite able to handle those late night jaunts into the gaming world. If you’re tight on money or just can’t justify spending a months car payment on the latest and greatest for a little extra eye candy then you’re reading the right review. At just over one hundred dollars this little DX9 capable beauty just may be what you’re looking for. ”

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