PCMech: SmoothWall Express 2.0
PC Mechanic :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Day by day, the threat to your personal online security increases as spyware, malware, and viruses are distributed to hijack your computer, steal your identity and destroy your data. For many, a common firewall and anti virus software just doesn’t cut it, and instead, you load your system up with a million spyware and virus scanners and removing tools which eat away system resources and burn a hole in your wallet.
Thermaltake Muse A2293 @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Summary: “When it comes to Thermaltake, their portfolio is spread across nearly every computer area imaginable for enthusiasts from Mozart HTPC cases to Gamma Pad mouse surfaces. In this article, we will be looking at one of their recent ventures that have been in the area of drive enclosures and it is the Muse 5.25-inch.”
Title: Zalman 9500 CPU Cooler @ Techgage
Techgage :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Quote: If you have been looking for a new CPU cooler that not only does it’s job well, but looks great in the process, then the 9500 may be exactly what you need. Made of pure copper, the 9500 utilizes 3 heatpipes which effectively does the work of 6! Let’s see how it compares to other heatsinks we have tested.
OCZ PC2-5400 Gold Edition Memory Reivew
Overclocker Café :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
While there is DDR2 out there that is rated faster, such as DDR800 and above, you’re going to pay for that speed. With a price tag of only $120, OCZ’s memory will give you plenty of headroom for overclocking. And backed by a lifetime warranty, even with increased voltage, this stuff should be at the top of your list when shopping around.
OCZ PC2-6400 EB Platinum Edition @ Viperlair
ViperLair :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
“A lot of people, and manufacturers (AMD) have steered clear of DDR2 due to the high latency, regardless of speeds the latency canceled out any performance gain so it just wasn’t worth it to switch to DDR2. That is all starting to change with much higher speeds and latency dropping with each new product DDR2 is finally coming into it’s own.”
We bring you the Sony PlayStation 3 @ DataFuse.net
DataFuse :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
“Even on this Sunday, where a troubled insomniac wishes for some rest and to be left alone, I can’t avoid keeping everybody up to date regarding the console wars that we find ourselves in. The Sony PS3 is what we’re all eagerly waiting for, the Xbox 360 (if all goes according to plan) is just a preview of what Sony has in store for us. ”
NEW CONTENT (Visual) Galaxy GeForce 7800GTX 512MB – An Affordable Option
TweakTown :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
QUOTE: “The Galaxy graphics card is a fantastic buy for people who just find that they cannot bring themselves to spend over $1000 AUD on a graphics card. There is no doubt that the 7800GTX 512MB is an expensive card and its all good and well ATI saying that the 512MB 7800GTX shouldn’t be compared against their 512MB X1800XT but their TBA card.”
Gigabyte GA-K8N51GMF-9 Motherboard Review @ CoolTechZone.com
CoolTechZone :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
“NVIDIA’s nForce series of chipsets have been a runaway success. Quite frankly, if top performance is what you are looking for, there is no substitute for an nForce 4 SLI board. The chipset has given us many legends including DFI’s NF4 Ultra and more recently, the maddeningly remarkable ASUS A8N32-SLI.”
G.SKILL F1-3200USU2-2GBHS PC3200 @ techPowerUp!
techPowerUp! :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
G.SKILL is known for their well performing memory, which doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. We have their latest 2GB kit on the testbench and were surprised by the good results. For $200 you get a 2 GB kit which performs very close to Samsung TCCD. Our best result was 272 MHz at only 2.8V. Impressive for a 2GB kit.
Futurelooks 2005 Holiday Gift Guides: Just Toying Around with Techie Toys
Futurelooks :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Toys for techies don’t always have to be PDA’s, cellphones, and Notebooks. They can actually be REAL toys. Toys these days have gone techie too and we get to check out some toys that are sure to please the kids or kids at heart this Holiday Season.
Last Minute Techie Holiday Gift Guide @ The TechZone
The Tech Zone :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Christmas is now less than a week away and you still haven’t done all your gift buying yet? Well, you’re in luck because we have a list of last minute techie holiday gifts ideas to help find that perfect stocking stuffer. Happy shopping.
Corsair 2GB TwinX2048-4000PT Memory Kit Review
Madshrimps :: Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Quote: “Having 1024MB of system RAM is still sweet, but 2048MB attests even sweeter to the forward looking PC-Enthusiast. Enter Corsair’s new Twinx2048-4000PT Memory kit for DDR1 platforms which we test extensively today”
Kingston HyperX PC7200 DDR900 1GB Kit Review @ PC Modding Malaysia
PC Modding Malaysia :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Content: “Being (yet again) the fasted DDR2 modules we have tested up to date, I have to admit that these HyperX DDR2 900MHz modules proved that they are the fast. Although the latencies were a bit higher than its competitor, Kingston puts their main focus on higher speeds rather than lower latencies. Besides that, the modules responded well with the voltage but we were a bit dissatisfied to have the voltage increased to 2.1V to do DDR900. Before we wrap things up, we would like to suggest that the HyperX PC7200 DDR900 modules were designed for overclockers, as our results shows. If you plan to buy this kit and run it at default speeds, you may want to look else where because you have to overclock your system to get it to perform. Priced at USD199 / RM760, these HyperX DDR2 modules looks impressive and a quick search shows that these modules are being sold at the same price, if not cheaper than most DDR800 modules! Overall, the HyperX PC7200 DDR900 modules offer high overclockability and best bang for buck!”
Evercool Sharks Heatpipe CPU Cooler @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
XGI Volari 8300 128 MB 64-bit Review
Hardware Secrets :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
“Volari 8300 is the newest entry-level graphics chip from XGI. It is always good to see another company besides ATI and nVidia doing something. The reference board we’ve got from XGI had 128 MB on-board memory and a 64-bit memory interface, competing with Radeon X300 SE HyperMemory and with the 64-bit 64 MB version of GeForce 6200 TurboCache. XGI’s chip, however, has a built-in MPEG-2 decoder and video enhancer, i.e. with this video card DVD decoding is done by the video card and not by the system CPU, which can be a tremendous feature for entry-level multimedia PCs. GeForce 6200 has also this feature, but you need to buy a decoder software from nVidia that costs between USD 19.95 and USD 49.95, depending on the version (you can use it for free during the first 30 days). Radeon X300 doesn’t have this feature at all, while the new Radeon X1300 series has it.”
Vantec Nexstar 3 Review @ DH
DPReview :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
“Form and functionality collide with style in the Nexstar 3 External SATA Hard Drive Enclosure from Vantec. With its mirror finish, sleek curves and bold colors, the Vantec Nexstar 3 stands out from the crowd. The sturdy drive cage protects your hard drive while the aluminum case effectively draws away the heat, protecting your drive from overheating. The Nexstar 3 features eSATA (external Serial ATA) and USB 2.0 interfaces offering speeds up to 3Gbps or 480Mbps respectively. This flexibility allows you to use your hard drive at its full performance where eSATA is available and still have the option of using USB where it’s not. The Nexstar 3 is an ideal way to store and transfer large amounts of data in an enclosure that matches your style!”
Black Jack: Biohazard Anime DVD Review @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
DH Review: Vantec Nexstar 3
Driver Heaven :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Form and functionality collide with style in the Nexstar 3 External SATA Hard Drive Enclosure from Vantec. With its mirror finish, sleek curves and bold colors, the Vantec Nexstar 3 stands out from the crowd. The sturdy drive cage protects your hard drive while the aluminum case effectively draws away the heat, protecting your drive from overheating. The Nexstar 3 features eSATA (external Serial ATA) and USB 2.0 interfaces offering speeds up to 3Gbps or 480Mbps respectively. This flexibility allows you to use your hard drive at its full performance where eSATA is available and still have the option of using USB where it’s not. The Nexstar 3 is an ideal way to store and transfer large amounts of data in an enclosure that matches your style!?
Leadtek 7800 GTX MyVIVO Extreme Review @ Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Leadtek consistently releases unique cooling solutions for its NVIDIA-based video cards. Leadtek also jumped on the factory overclock bandwagon and offers several overclocked versions of its cards. Today’s review focuses on the Leadtek WinFast PX7800 GTX TDH MyVIVO Extreme, which happens to feature both a custom cooling solution and a factory overclock.
If you have seen the massive, heatpipe-based cooler on the 7800 GTX 512 cards, then the cooling solution on the WinFast PX7800 GTX TDH MyVIVO Extreme is nothing new to you. Leadtek’s WinFast PX7800 GTX Extreme was actually the first non-Quadro card to use this cooler, as this card was out weeks before the GTX 512s hit the shelves. The cooler was first seen on NVIDIA’s Quadro FX.
Mid-Range Buyer’s Guide (Q4’05) @ TheTechLounge
The Tech Lounge :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Slim Devices v3 Network Media Player @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Thermalright SI-97 GPU Cooler Mod Guide Rev. 2.1 Posted!
Tech ARP :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
But for a select group of extreme overclockers who enjoy voltage-modding their cards for the extra edge, even third-party coolers just won’t hack it.
Today, Max_87 shows us just how easy it is to mod a Thermalright SI-97 CPU cooler into an awesome GPU cooler capable of handling even voltage-modded cards!
NZXT Lexa Midtower Case Review
OCIA :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
AOpen i945Ga-PHS Mainboard Review
Overclocker Café :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Digital Addiction & The MMORPG phenomenon @ The TechZone
The Tech Zone :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
For the uninitiated, MMORPG stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. The basic premise of these epic online games is that players from around the world converge on servers to do battle against computer driven opponents and often each other. Each server can hold on average up to 5,000 players at a time. It is then no wonder that these servers become home to a unique subculture of players who eat, sleep and breathe these fantasy worlds – sometimes to the detriment of everything else in their life.
Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 CPU Cooler at 3DXtreme
3dXtreme :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Recently 3DXtreme has been taking a look at high end air coolers. Products like Thermaltakes’ Big Typhoon, Blue Orb II and the Artic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro have all been reviewed within the last few months. Air cooling with products like these allow for some great overclocks – however would a high end air cooler ever be able to keep pace with an entry level water cooling setup? How about a one piece unit from the likes of Cooler Master? Today that’s just what we are going to set out to see.
News: Seagate’s Barracuda 7200.9 hard drives
The Tech Report :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Seagate’s new Barracuda 7200.9 family of Serial ATA hard drives packs storage capacity on both fronts, with one model weighing in at a hefty half-terabyte and another packing a single 160GB platter whose areal density is 25% higher than its closest competitor. We’ve rounded up both models and run them through a brutal gauntlet of storage tests against earlier Barracudas and drives from Hitachi, Maxtor, and Western Digital. Read on to see how the 7200.9s compare.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 ‘IE7’ Preview
PCStats :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
“PCSTATS looks at the new features which Microsoft plans to bring to the table With Internet Explorer 7, and examine how the underlying functionality of the browser has changed to better protect your computer. Internet Explorer has the distinction of being the browser most targeted by all forms of spyware, malware, and other nasties, so more security is always good news. Essential features like tabbed browsing are just the tip of what Internet Explorer 7 has to offer.”
Corsair TwinX2048-4000PT PC4000 DDR500 Memory Review
PCStats :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
“Officially, the Corsair TwinX1024-4000PT is designed to run mainly on highly overclocked systems and is rated for up to 250 MHz with 3-4-4-8 timings (at a voltage of 2.8V). If you are running with lower latencies, we can tell you that the TwinX2048-4000PT will only run as tight as 2.5-3-3-6. The 2GB TwinX2048-4000PT DDR500 RAM kit is rated to run at speeds of up to 250 MHz, who says you had to sacrifice speed for higher capacity? ”
Bigbruin.com Review: Raidmax Sagitta ATX Gaming Case
Big Bruin :: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Quote: This case offered one of the easiest installations I have ever completed. The unique design of the tool free setup holds drives in place better than any I have seen. The hard drive bay is turned 90 degrees to ease installation, and as seen previously, the motherboard tray comes out of the case to simplify that step.
