Why High-End Audio Matters
Designtechnica :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“If you work for the audio industry—or just write about it, as I do—these are disturbing times. Here’s the good news: Sales of audio products grew by 29 percent last year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Now here’s the bad news: Component audio sales actually fell by 16 percent. The growth in sales was driven almost entirely by portables, led by the skyrocketing iPod. Why is that bad news for an audiophile? Because high-end audio—the good stuff—is a subset of component audio, not portable audio. As the high- end market has withered, a whole generation has grown up without knowing what the good stuff sounds like. CEA reports that 56 percent of consumers “say they have never even heard what they’d consider a great sounding audio system.””
How To Convert VHS Tapes Into DVDs – Part 1
Hardware Secrets :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
“Let’s face it: VHS is dead. The problem is that a lot of people still have a huge VHS collection, including all sort of personal mementos like birthday parties, weddings, Christmas, Bar Mitzvahs, trips – you name it. With a PC with a DVD burner, a video capture card (or a video card with VIVO function) and a VCR you can convert all your VHS tapes in DVDs. You may even start working with this and make some money – there is a huge market for this kind of conversion out there for people that don’t want to go thru the hassle of converting the tapes themselves. In this tutorial we will show you how to convert your VHS tapes into DVDs. In this part we will cover the hardware part, i.e. the physical installation of your VCR to your PC, including how to install a video capture board to your PC.”
Sapphire RADEON X1300 256MB at Modders-Inc.com
Modders Inc. :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Sapphire RADEON X1300 256MB With the introduction of the X1300 series video card Sapphire and ATI have made available to consumers on a limited budget the chance to play some of todays better games. The Sapphire RADEON X1300 256MB is a great entry level video card that has the features of more expensive higher end video cards without the prohibitive price tag. With a street price of about $100 USD it is a true “bang for the buck” video card worth looking into.
NGO ATI Optimized Driver v1.6.4
NGOHQ :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
The NGO ATI Optimized Driver is a tweaked version of the ATI Catalyst driver. The main purpose is to satisfy the users with better performance and image quality. The Driver has support for all Radeon cards.”
AVerMedia UltraTV USB 300 @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Altec Lansing AHP 712i Headphones
OCModshop :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote: Conclusion is pretty simple. If you can afford the 150.00 price tag and need a quality audio device then this might be the perfect product. The AHP 712i is Ideal for the traveling business person or the developer / gamer that wants to tune out the world. Remember these are not Headsets for gaming these are Headphones for musical entertainment. Great gift idea for anyone that travels allot the Airline phone jack is a plus.
Saitek A-350 Wireless Headphones
Think Computers :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Speakers
Think Computers :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Mobile GPU Comparison Guide Rev. 5.1 Posted!
Tech ARP :: Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Quote – “These days, there are so many mobile GPU models that it has become quite impossible to keep up with the different configurations. Therefore, we decided to compile this guide to provide an easy reference for those who are interested in comparing the specifications of the various mobile GPUs in the market as well as those already obsolescent or obsolete.
Currently covering over 60 mobile GPUs, this comprehensive comparison will allow you to easily compare 14 different specifications for each and every GPU! We hope it will prove to be a useful reference. We will keep this guide updated regularly so do check back for the latest updates!
Nextlink Bluespoon AX2 Bluetooth Headset Review
Blue Tomorrow :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
Quote: When we first saw the Bluespoon AX2, we knew it was a Bluetooth headset we needed to review. On appearance only, the AX2 is one of the nicer looking headsets on the market today. But like the saying goes, “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
Samsung SyncMaster 940BF
Designtechnica :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
More options are becoming available to consumers as LCD Monitors are growing to be a mainstream item. In fact, CRT displays will soon fade out and become a thing of the past. However, until that happens people should put some considerable thought into purchasing an LCD Monitor. The Samsung SyncMaster 940BF has a mediocre 19” display with a small bezel and some decent features. Unfortunately, these features are not enough to justify its high price tag. Perhaps if the monitor was designed better and the price was $100 lower, it would be the ultimate in displays of its class. Read on to learn more about the Samsung SyncMaster 940BF display.
MSI RX1800GTO-VT2D Overclocking Test
Madshrimps :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT Graphics Card Review Posted!
Tech ARP :: Thursday, April 20, 2006
If you have been drooling over the new GeForce 7900 GTX but can’t afford it, you may be interested to know that it is actually not quite the best thing in NVIDIA’s line-up.
HIS Overclocked Radeon X1600 Pro Turbo Review
Hardware Secrets :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
“Radeon X1600 Pro is a mid-range graphic chip from ATI, and HIS has launched a factory-overclocked model using this chip, dubbed X1600 Pro IceQ Turbo. While “Turbo” goes for the factory-set overclocking function, “IceQ” goes for the big fan that video cards from this series from HIS uses, which helps removing hot air from inside your PC. Let’s see how is the performance of this factory-overclocked Radeon X1600 Pro from HIS.”
Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker System
Think Computers :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Silverstone MS02 2.5″ HDD Enclosure Review
Virtual-Hideout :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
nVidia has set things right!
NGOHQ :: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
We have just received a phone call from an Nvidia representative. He wanted to call us earlier but was delayed due Easter. He explained the situation to us and apologized for the situation. We believe that situation happened due the lack of communication between Nvidia and NGOHQ. I believe it will not happen again in the future. We have been asked nicely to remove the SLI Patch and we agreed to do so.
The entire issue has been solved in a professional manner. I would like thank everyone who supported us. Since I noticed many people blamed Nvidia for greed I would like to mention that they never asked for money or anything like that. They just requested to have us remove the SLI Patch to protect their trademark and copyrights. We are very pleased that we were able to solve that issue in a professional manner. I would like to thank Luciano from Nvidia for taking the time to explain everything in a concise manner and to Hilbert from Guru3D for his support on this issue.
Samsung SyncMaster 970P 19 Inch LCD Monitor Review
Tweaknews :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
“With exceptional picture quality and contrast along with great gaming, this monitor will not fail to please even the pickiest consumer with the most stringent needs. It is flexible yet is built amazingly well for such a small form factor flat panel.”
Sapphire Radeon X1900XT Graphics Card
TweakTown :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
QUOTE: “No matter how well a manufacturer does in the past makes no difference when it comes to a new product to test out. Today’s contestant is the Sapphire X1900XT graphics card. Using the newer ATI R580 chipset and fitted with 512MB of onboard memory, we’re going to put it through its paces and see how it compares to graphics boards using the Radeon X8xx series chipset. We’ll take a look at features and performance numbers and try to help you decide whether this product would make a worthy upgrade in your own enthusiast rig.”
ATI Radeon X1800 Linux Preview
Phoronix :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
Summary: “After months of negative scrutiny by the Linux community, ATI will finally be pushing out its X1000 support to their Linux proprietary drivers later today. With that said, starting today with the 8.24.8 display drivers penguins can finally experience the benefits of the X1000 series, while Microsoft users have been able to experience this level of support since launch date. While it will likely take a couple of monthly driver releases to nail down the fine details related to this support, we have up now our ATI Radeon X1800 preview as we compare various X1000 cards against that of NVIDIA’s GeForce lineup under Linux.”
Asus EN7800GT TOP Silent 2DHTV/256M Videocard Review
PCStats :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
ATi Catalyst 6.4 with CP
NGOHQ :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
“We have noticed that some people still prefer to use the old ATI Control Panel over the Catalyst Control Center. As a result I have decided to incorporate the Control Panel into the newly released Catalyst 6.4s.”
Sapphire Radeon X1300Pro
Bytesector :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
“Over the past few months, Bytesector has reviewed the two ATI-based mid-range graphics cards from Sapphire. The X1600 series was an acceptable performer and proved to be a product worth consideration when upgrading. Sapphire and ATI proved to me that miracles are possible when I saw the benchmarks for the X1600XT. Today I will be looking at Sapphire’s Radeon X1300Pro, which fits into the low-range graphics card market. I have come to expect great things from ATI graphics chipsets, and I am curious to see just what performance is available from a low-end graphics card these days. Let’s check it out.”
What To Look For When Buying HDTV
Digital Grabber :: Thursday, April 13, 2006
The big question last season when shopping for a new TV was whether or not to invest in a HDTV ready set. That is no longer the question. Prices today are comparable between standard TVs and HDTV compatible ones that it’s a no-brainer to go with a HDTV ready set. So the question is not whether to purchase a HDTV, but what kind of HDTV to purchase? We have three consumer choices: Plasma, LCD, or DLP. Here’s a brief look at the pros and cons of each and our recommended pick in each category.
GeForce 7800GT Voltage BIOS Softmod
NGOHQ :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Quote: “Not everybody knows how to perform a voltage mod. Today we’re giving 7800GT users a small gift – this universal 7800GT BIOS image contains a small voltage mod of 0.1v in 3D mode, meaning you will be able to overclock your 7800GT even higher.”
ATI R600 Details Revealed
CoolTechZone :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
“After convincingly taking away the performance crown from NVIDIA, ATI seems to be on a roll. The R580 was a smashing hit, but the R600 seems to be even more stunning. If our sources are to be believed, then the specifications sheet for the R600 will look something like this.”
EVGA 7600GS 256MB Video Card:
3dgameman :: Tuesday, April 11, 2006
“The EVGA 7600GS 256MB Video Card comes in two different flavors: Active cooling, and Passive cooling. This review is for the Passive cooling model. The card is fantastic for silent computer setups or in a Home Theater PC for watching HD movies. On the gaming side of things, this card has all the features but lacks real performance. Of course, EVGA has their higher end 7900 series cards for that! Watch the Video to find out more…” ~3dGameMan.com
Altec Lansing iM716 Earphones
The Tech Lounge :: Friday, April 07, 2006
Regardless of how you feel about the lawsuit, the push to get Apple to provide noise-reducing headphones is interesting. In our ever busier and noisier society, it’s nice to be able to put on some headphones almost anywhere, and escape to our own little musical paradise. Of course, with most headphones the volume may need to be cranked to nearly unbearable volumes to escape the outside world completely, which is exactly why Apple is facing this suit. This problem is something other companies have been working to address and we’ll be looking at one possible solution today; the Altec Lansing inMotion iM716 earphones.”
Albatron 7300GS
Overclockers Online :: Friday, April 07, 2006
Quote: We can certainly see a card like this being suitable for those who use their machine seldom for gaming. The simple heatsink fan combination provided great cooling with little noise and even allowed us to squeeze a bit more out of the card through overclocking.
ASUS Geforce 7900GT 256MB
OCModshop :: Thursday, April 06, 2006
“Specification wise, the ASUS 7900GT runs at 450MHz on the core, and 660MHz (1320MHz DDR) on the RAM, which is 256MB in Samsung 1.4ns bc14 GDDR3 chips. The 7900GT core has 24 pixel pipelines, which is nice to see on the 7900GT model as 24 is the same number featured in the 7900GTX model. This wasn’t the case with the 7800GT – it had 20, 4 less than the 7800GTX.”
