Tech News August 2004

by NewsAugust 30, 2004June 29, 201400

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

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