Tech News January 2005

Thermaltake CL-W0005 BigWater 12CM Liquid Cooling System
SystemCooling :: Wednesday, January 19, 2005

“Until recently water cooling was the domain of the hardcore. But with Intel’s latest CPU’s turning PC’s into toaster ovens, and darn near everyone looking to get more speed via overclocking, it is becoming an option for more and more people. To be able to achieve common status with the general enthusiast crowd, a water cooling system must be simple to install, easy to operate and effective at cooling the processor. If it can add to those general requirements by looking good and being able to run quiet, then you’ve got a winner. Today, we’ll take a look at the latest water cooling kit from Thermaltake and see just how it measures up to those guidelines.”

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Intel Sonoma Mobile Platform Review Posted!
Tech ARP :: Wednesday, January 19, 2005

“Today, we take a close look at the new Sonoma mobile platform as well as the spanking new Techdos and Fujitsu Sonoma notebooks! Be the first to read about Sonoma and why it will change mobile computing as we know it!”

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Thermaltake Xpeaker Panel Review @ Mikhailtech
Mikhailtech :: Sunday, January 16, 2005

“The drivers are too small and too weak to reproduce any low frequencies, so the result is a slight boost in sound levels. As for distortion, there really is none since it never reaches levels where it would be noticeable. In short, these are quiet speakers. For what it’s worth, the Xpeaker is a neat contraption and useful in certain situations. However the hype is rather misleading. Thermaltake claims (and I quote), “Play it LOUD!! Xpeaker builds you a heart-pumping experience for games, music, and more!!”. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I did almost everything with the setup: fragging, listening to some tunes, watching a movie, etc. Yes, it’s bearable, but the fact remains that the speakers are low on both physical dimensions and power. Therefore, any low frequency reproduction is unheard of.”

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CES 2005 Coverage: Nothing Exciting in Desktop Hard Drives This Year @ CoolTechZone
CoolTechZone :: Sunday, January 16, 2005
“One of the most uninteresting topics of discussion, when it comes to PC components, are hard drives. This particular field in the computing industry simply doesn’t move at the same pace as other system components. When Intel and AMD launched their new platforms, the entire computing industry changed to better architectures, at least theoretically, with improved efficiency and better performance (let’s take Intel’s high-priced, immature platform out of the question for a moment and focus on developments). With newer platforms came new standards, but with hard drives, nothing much has changed. Sure, we saw Western Digital’s 10K RPM Raptors and Maxtor’s 16MB cache drives with NCQ, but is the time frame justifiable? Even after these developments, users are left wanting more out of this industry as a whole. That’s not to say that we expect hard drive manufacturers to develop hard drives like AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and ATI does with their CPUs and GPUs, but we would certainly like to see a set pattern where users can expect something significant in this industry. After talking to some manufacturers at the Consumer Electronics Show, we were surprised at what they had to say about the industry as a whole and their plans for 2005.”

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TITAN Vanessa CPU Cooler Review @ Techniz.co.uk
Techniz.co.uk :: Sunday, January 16, 2005

“This Vanessa CPU cooler from Titan is a good performance CPU cooler. This CPU cooler was an ideal choice for those users who wish for a good cooling system. Not only that, the performance of the Vanessa CPU cooler is very good as you can see in the performance section. But, there is always some downside which is the size of this cooler, it is huge!, which will cause some problems for the smaller pc cases. However, it might not be a problem as long as the cooling performance is good.”

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SilverStone Zeus ST-52F 520W Power Supply Review @ InsaneTek
InsaneTek :: Sunday, January 16, 2005
“SilverStone strives to make great products that generate little noise. They have a number of power supplies that are equipped with large fans for cooling. Today’s sample we’ve received is SilverStone’s high end power supply, which comes rated at 520W and uses 2 80mm fans for cooling. The power supply comes reasonably priced and has many of the options that would satisfy many users.”

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Centon Gemini PC3200 Low Latency DDR Review @ InsaneTek
InsaneTek :: Sunday, January 16, 2005
“Ever since the announcement of Samsung TCCD memory die, every manufacturer has been jumping on board to get out their own version of low latency DDR memory. Corsair started it all and the rest of the players followed. Even the uncommon brands, like PDP and PQI, sprung out with their own sticks of memory. Thus, it’s no surprise to see Centon jump out to compete with the rest of the players. Never heard of Centon? Well that’s because they’ve never focused on anything high end that would catch much attention. Centon is actually a large memory manufacturer and they’ve been in the memory field for a very long time. They usually target standard memory that offer more stability and compatibility for low end systems.”

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SuperPower XP02 Gaming Case Review @ 3DXtreme
3dXtreme :: Sunday, January 16, 2005
“Today 3DXtreme presents their latest review of a modded mid tower case by SuperPower. They are not one of the bigger names in computer cases, however the case we present today is definitely different than what you would normally see. Let’s have a look at this case and see how well it rates.”

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CES 2005 Coverage: Better Looking Computer Cases & Power Supplies @ CoolTechZone
CoolTechZone :: Sunday, January 16, 2005
“Lately, many users are complaining about the gaudy physical attributes of their computer cases. More and more manufacturers started concentrating on gaming cases after they received quite a bit of attention in the early days, but now user preference has changed, but gaming cases are still entering the market strongly. Many users pose concerns that manufacturers, such as Thermaltake and Sunbeam, have cases that are too “immature” for them. This is why Cooler Master, Silverstone and Lian Li has captured a fair share of the market and has always targeted “serious” customer base, so to speak. Well, your complaints were answered this year at the Consumer Electronics Show where many companies revealed their 2005 product roadmaps.”

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Scythe Kamakiri SCKKR-1000 @ Tech-Mods.net
Tech-Mods.net :: Sunday, January 16, 2005

“The Kamakiri cooler is a solid idea that needs abit more refining for it to shine above others. Scythe’s main mission is to make DIY builders create their drem machines with quality parts. The SCKKR-1000 Kamakiri is a copper tubed heatpipe cooler for many platforms that utitizes a push/pull fan design across all 6 heatpipes.”

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Superpower XP03P Gaming Case reviewed @ Hi-techreviews
Hi-Techreviews :: Sunday, January 16, 2005
“Superpower has introduced a new case the model XP03P Gaming Case that reminds me of a cross between a Power Mac G5 and a Star Wars battle pack. On the outside it has some rather unique features like the grab and snatch handles located on the top and bottom of the case, as well as removable access side panels that maybe the easiest to remove of any case we have ever reviewed. But as we all know good looks alone do not make a great case. So come on along as we check it out and find out just how good it really is.”

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Vantec NexStar 2 External 5.25″ Enclosure @ Techniz.co.uk
Techniz.co.uk :: Sunday, January 16, 2005

“The Vantec Nexstar 2 External 5.25″ Enclosure is a very good enclosure. Our review unit was a USB 2.0 and Firewire hard disk enclosure. So, it do have extra feature compare with the normal version which is only support USB 2.0. The NexStar 2 top and bottom panel is in metallic pearl color which is very good looking. The disadvantages of this enclosure are the entire housing is made of plastic and does not support 3.5″ HDD. The MSRP of the Vantec Nexstar 2 External 5.25″ Enclosure is around US $40. It will be a good buy for a optical devices enclosure with a USB 2.0 and Firewire.”

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Logisys KB602BK EL Keyboard Review @ Mikhailtech
Mikhailtech :: Saturday, January 15, 2005

“Near the top of the keyboard you’ll notice a PCB and a yellow coated transformer. This is used to power the EL backlight and the blue LEDs. There is a slight hum/buzz generated when the EL is working, but it’s pretty quiet and unnoticeable beyond a few inches. Seeing as how most people will have at least a foot or two between their ears and the keyboard, this shouldn’t pose a problem. Newer keyboards are using LEDs for backlighting (as they’re more reliable and don’t require a transformer), but EL still has the advantage of being more uniform without any pockets of extreme brightness and darkness.”

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Microsoft Windows Anti-Spyware (beta) Software Review @ PCStats
PCStats :: Saturday, January 15, 2005
“Overall we came away impressed with the Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (beta) software, though we felt that some things needed improvement. This application’s strong suit right now is its appealing and simple interface, coupled with the real-time protection offered by its ‘agents.’ This type of protection is something that the major free antispyware applications out there just aren’t providing right now, and it gives a compelling reason for using this Microsoft beta product.”

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Soltek Qbic 3901a Socket 939 SFF Review @ Neoseeker
Neoseeker :: Saturday, January 15, 2005
“Soltek’s QBics have always had one consistent advantage over every other SFF. The QBics would consistently achieve a much lower noise level than competing cases. No change here. Even with the extra side fan, the noise level from this thing is still lower than most cases. Whereas cases like the Shuttle would start off really loud and then drop after booting into Windows, the Soltek starts quiet and stays quiet.”

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Spire Coolwave II (LGA 775 Heatsink) Review @ Hi-Techreviews
Hi-Techreviews :: Saturday, January 15, 2005

“This must be our week to review heatsinks for LGA 775 motherboards since we have one more for you to checkout today. This time around it’s the Spire Coolwave II, a very nice looking unit featuring a UV reactive fan and mounting assembly and perhaps one of the securest mounting methods of any 775 heatsink we have tested. So come on along as we take a look at this unit and see just how well it performs under stock conditions and with a 500 MHz overclock.”

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Logisys UV Red Acrylic Case Review @ Phronix
Phoronix :: Saturday, January 15, 2005

“Up on the review block today we have the Logisys Assembled UV Red Acrylic Clear Case. Many of the cases we see at Phoronix on a daily basis are composed of aluminum, steel, or plastic, but when the Logisys CS888UVRD entered our sights, we knew everyone would be in for a big surprise.”

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Mushkin 1GB PC2-4200 DDR2 Dual Pack @ Systemcooling
SystemCooling :: Saturday, January 15, 2005

“Mushkin is a company that’s been around for a while, and one whose product I’ve always liked. As a matter of fact, the first “high performance” memory I ever bought carried the Mushkin label. I’ve owned several of Mushkin’s memory products since then, and when I got the opportunity to take a look at a member of their DDR2 line of products, I didn’t hesitate. Today we’re taking Mushkin’s 1GB PC2-4200 (533) Dual Pack CL 4-4-4 modules and putting them through their paces to see if they’re worthy of your hard-earned dollars.”

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Aspire Chameleon 550w PSU Review @ Overclocker Cafe
Overclocker Café :: Friday, January 14, 2005

“Strong stable power with a bit of panache. The changeable colors of the LED fan and UV reactive cable sheathing and connectors will be the pride of many windowed case owners. This in addition to the unit’s adjustable fan speed and its ability to run virtually silent, make it a top choice for an upgrade or replacement component to anyone’s system.”

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Vantec EZ Swap 2 Review @ PC Modding Malaysia
PC Modding Malaysia :: Friday, January 14, 2005
“This Vantec EZ Swap 2 has a better cooling solution than the EZ Swap. Although this Vantec EZ Swap 2 does not come in fancy designs e.g. LCD display, temperature probes but it has its own advantages because it is simple and cheaper. (around 7.00 USD cheaper than EZ Swap.) Vantec’s EZ Swap 2 definitely is one of the better choices amongst the plethora of removable HDD racks out in the market right now in terms of both price and performance.”

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CES 2005 Unveiled Part 2 @ Designtechnica
Designtechnica :: Friday, January 14, 2005
“Welcome to part two of our 2005 CES coverage. In our part one coverage of this fantastic show, we featured products which fell into three basic categories: displays, media devices such as Media Center PC’s and streaming media devices, and IPTV based products, not to mention a few products which simply stood out among others. Part two has a very strong showing of home audio products as well as a few miscellaneous products which were just too cool not to show off.”

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CS Bot for CS: Source
Valve Software :: Friday, January 14, 2005
The official Counter-Strike Bot will be released for Counter-Strike: Source on Monday (January 17th). The Bot features enhanced abilities and will be available for all owners of Counter-Strike: Source. Also included in Monday’s release is an updated version de_tides, rebuilt by Turtlerock Studios. For more information or to purchase your copy of Counter-Strike: Source, please visit www.steampowered.com.

Last 2 Days to Sign Up To Win Corsair RAM @ Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Friday, January 14, 2005
“Bjorn3D and Corsair Memory are teaming up to give away 4 sets of TwinX1024-3200XLPro!

The Rules: The contest untils Saturday January 15th. You may enter only once during the contest. You must supply a valid e-mail and shipping address. Winners will be selected randomly by the staff of Bjorn3D”

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Corsair TWINX1024-3200XL v1.2 Review @ ViperLair
ViperLair :: Friday, January 14, 2005
“The benchmarks really didn’t give us any surprises as higher frequencies equals better performance. The focus of the review today was simply the overclocking, and the new TWINX1024-3200XL v1.2 brought it in spades. The new PCB was the deciding factor here as we’ve reached overclocks that were unattainable with Corsair’s earlier XL kit.”

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Zalman CNPS 7700-Cu Review @ OCIA
OCIA :: Friday, January 14, 2005

“A side-by-side comparison with the AMD 64 OEM (supplied with Athlon 64 3000+ / S-754) to give you an idea of the size of this cooler. There is no question about which cooler would appear to be more effective at first glance.”

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SunbeamTech Various Accessories @ InsaneTek
InsaneTek :: Friday, January 14, 2005
“Sunbeam is a company quietly developing modding accessories, cooling solutions, and cases. We had the opportunity to look at the Samurai case, which was great in terms of quality. Today, we’ll be taking a look at SunbeamTech’s line of accessories for the modding geek.”

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Extreme Wireless Networking from Gigabyte – Turbo G emerges
TweakTown :: Wednesday, January 12, 2005

“Have you ever considered implementing wireless LAN? With some of the initial hiccups of wireless LAN seemingly out the way, now might be a good time to consider adding the freedom and flexible of wireless networking to your home or office. Today we take a look at some of the latest wireless equipment to come from Gigabyte with their Turbo G gear which offers data throughput up their with wired networks.”

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Razer Diamondback Gaming Mouse
Tech-Mods.net :: Tuesday, January 11, 2005

“In the fast paced gaming world it pays to have a high speed mouse for fragging. Razer is the first name to come to mind when speed and precision are of the up most importance! Razer sent over their Diamondback Chameleon Green precision gaming mouse and let’s say right out of the box it is very impressive with its smooth styling and color shifting green to purple paint. Razer has been making precision gaming devices for 5 years now and has added the edge gamers need to win!”

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Pioneer DVR-S806 16x Dual-Layer DVD Writer Review
CoolTechZone :: Tuesday, January 11, 2005

“At times it seems that drive speeds are moving along in small steps, inching along just enough so that you feel that your six month old drive is slow and ready for replacement. This is exactly what we have been experiencing in the optical drive market. Occasionally, we find that a simple firmware upgrade is all that is needed to hit the next jump in speed. A trip to the development labs of any of the major drive manufacturers would reveal some amazing drives operating at speeds much faster than we can purchase. This trickle of technology is due to economics and little else. Basically, we have to watch closely and make our purchases when the time seems right.”

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Get Your Move On
Futurelooks :: Tuesday, January 11, 2005

“Buying a house and moving to it is probably one of the most stressful things we modern humans do. Change may be good, but it’s still nerve-wracking. But fret not, Net.friends; relocating in the digital age is much easier than it’s ever been, thanks to the vast resources available online.”

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