Gigabyte 8N-SLI Quad Royal
TweakTown :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
QUOTE: “With new agreements with Intel, nVidia has acquired the licence to produce Netburst supporting chipsets, which has now led to the release of the nForce 4 Intel Edition based chipsets. The first chip based for this technology was simply not fully up to specs and plagued with compatibility problems with the Pentium-D and Pentium Extreme Edition CPU’s, nVidia has moved to producing a second generation of chipset supporting Dual PCI Express x16 graphics slots.”
Zalman ZM460-APS
Overclockers Online :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
Quote: The Zalman ZM460-APS power supply is quite the unit. It can be a difficult hunt finding the right power supply that offers quality power output that won’t cost your system its stability. The Zalman provides this and is able to do it quietly.
Corsair Secure Digital 133x
Phoronix :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
Summary: “From the Flash Voyager to COOL Water Cooling, Corsair has proven time and time again that they are able to offer exceptionally designed products just not when it comes to their system memory origins but whatever they focus their attention upon. Under our microscope today, we have the Secure Digital 133x series to see if the product lives up to Corsair name we have all become to know and appreciate.”
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro Heatsink Fan
SystemCooling :: Sunday, January 29, 2006
Nexus 350W Silent NX-9003 SFB Power Supply w/ Security Fan Backup Review #643:
3dgameman :: Thursday, January 26, 2006
“One of the first things you will probably notice is the low wattage of this Power Supply. Well, don’t let that fool you. While it’s not going to give the kind of power an efficient 500W or larger PSU would, it does provide 350 watts of very high quality power. Being only 350 watts does have it’s advantages though. It means that with a low amount of efficient power you can provide a silent PSU which is still Active PFC. You would be much better off with this product than a generic 600W power supply…” ~3dGameMan.com
Thermaltake Max 4 Hard drive Enclosure Case Review
3dXtreme :: Thursday, January 26, 2006
“I would recommend the A2295 Max 4 to any one who is looking for a functional easy to use way to backup their important files on a regular basis. The ThermalTake Max 4 is a must have for all households that want to back up those irreplaceable family picture’s, IRS tax forms, Mp3 music, or all around raw data.”
Abit merges with USI
t-break :: Thursday, January 26, 2006
Taipei, Taiwan, January 25, 2005 – ABIT Computer Corporation, maker of high-performance motherboards and PC peripherals, today announced a definitive agreement to enter a long-term strategic partnership with Universal Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd. (USI), leading global company in the DMS industry. USI is recognized as the strategic DMS partner for global brands in the 4C (Computing, Communications, Consumer Electronics and Car Electronics) industries. Integrating its core technologies of Computing, Wireless Communication and Video/Audio Processing, USI offers high quality, value-added and cost-competitive products covering 4C application fields. This merger enables USI to effectively penetrate the retail motherboard channel with the world’s 4th largest branded motherboard maker, and allows ABIT to leverage a world-class manufacturing and service network.
Gigabyte’s i-RAM storage device
The Tech Report :: Thursday, January 26, 2006
Those dissatisfied with the performance of mechanical storage solutions can tap solid-state storage devices that substitute silicon for spinning platters. Such devices shed the mechanical shackles that limit hard drive performance, but they’ve hardly been affordable options for most users. Then Gigabyte unveiled the i-RAM, a $150 solid state-storage device that plugs directly into a motherboard’s Serial ATA port, accommodates up to four run-of-the-mill DDR SDRAM modules, and behaves like a normal hard drive without the need for additional drivers or software.
Gigabyte first demoed the i-RAM at Computex last summer, and cards have finally made their way to the North American market. One has also made its way to our labs, where it’s been packed with high-density DIMMs and run through our usual suite of storage tests. Read on for more on how the i-RAM works, what its limitations are, and how its performance compares with a collection of single hard drives and multi-disk arrays.
Microsoft Still Working on BC Games
IGN :: Thursday, January 26, 2006
January 23, 2006 – Microsoft still plans on making Xbox 360 backward compatible (BC) games prior to March 2006, the company told IGN today, contradicting a report posted earlier alleging it has halted work on said titles.
In an official but canned statement, Microsoft said this: “The backward compatibility updates are not on hold, and we’re working to deliver them as soon as possible. We don’t yet have a delivery date for these and will update you as soon as we can.”
Microsoft said the information originally generated from a podcast that was misinterpreted.
Several sites had allegedly received information claiming that they had been “informed that there are going to be no more Backward Compatibility updates released for the Xbox 360 until March at the earliest. Microsoft’s David Reid has stated that the team who do the BC work are on holiday throughout January and will start work on priority titles when they return. But from what it sounds like, there will be only a few more updates released through 2006.”
Microsoft has not updated the backward compatible list since December 2005.
Club-3D 7800GT 256MB video card
ViperLair :: Thursday, January 26, 2006
“The Club-3D 7800GT 256MB has come through our tests as one of the best performing cards around. The overall package is nice, although you can probably find a better package from other manufacturers, they will likely cost more. You get everything you need and a few extras to boot but the package is really all about the card; which is as it should be.”
Xion II ATX PC Case Review
Futurelooks :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Today, we look at the Xion II PC case. It’s a cool and simple case with a theme that looks eerily familiar. Can someone say, Microsoft Xbox? Let’s find out if it is just more than looks.
GAIM v2.0.0 BETA
Phoronix :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Summary: “After last month’s release of GAIM v2.0.0 BETA 1, just hours ago we were greeted by the launch of the official BETA 2 release. They hope no major changes will occur between this latest BETA and the release candidate and there is no expected date yet announced, other than saying that the final release will be out before proving the theory of special relativity. GAIM v2.0.0 does not and will not include support for voice or video support on Google Talk, as well as any other protocol with the BETA candidate, but today we have yet re-examined GAIM 2 BETA 2 and have posted some images from a freshly compiled copy. For the uninitiated, GAIM is a multi-protocol instant messaging client available on Linux while a Microsoft Windows port is also available.”
R580: ATI Radeon X1900 XTX and Crossfire Review
Beyond3D :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Had we gone by the history of ATI’s product refreshes we’d be forgiven for thinking that this would be little more than a slightly warmed over R520 chip, tweaked to yield at higher clock speeds. However, roadmaps leaked sometime ago, with curious configuration indicators would suggest that this wasn’t the case for R580. The roadmaps indicated a configuration of 16-1-1-1 for R530 and 16-1-3-1 for R580. It wasn’t until RV530 (Radeon X1600) was fully understood did these descriptions become clearer as to their intent; with a configuration signalled on the roadmap as 4-1-3-2 for RV530 it become clear that the numbers represented the number of “pipelines” (even though ATI’s engineering didn’t like this terminology), the number of texture units per pipeline, parallel shader ALUs per pipeline and the number of Z samples per pipeline. When this is extrapolated back to R580 it would appear to mean that the pixel shader pipelines would be increased threefold over R520, sounding a little absurd to some…
PICO-PSU (smallest psu worldwide) review
Epiacenter.com :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
“It’s just a little bit larger then a normal size ATX connector but it’s more powerful then an ordinary ATX connector and best of all, it’s yellow. After some time of reasearching, the guys from Ituner managed to create what is now the smallest PSU on the world.”
Dude, that’s lame! New E3 Booth Babe Rules
The Tech Zone :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
ECS PF5 Extreme
techPowerUp! :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
From a feature perspective ECS offers a very well rounded board with the PF5 Extreme. Having one Gigabit and one Fast Ethernet port is exactly the combination which I think is a good compromise between speed and price. Getting six SATA ports and two PCI-E x16 ports for around $120 is also very nice. However, if you are looking into overclocking more than just a little bit this board might not for you. It has quite a few issues when it comes to overclocking.
Crucial Ballistix GB (2*512) Kit @ Pro-Clockers
Pro-Clockers :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Quote: When you think of memory, there are several brand names that any self respecting overclockers will spew forth. Corsair, OCZ, Kingston . However one name that is never missed off that list of greats is Crucial. Their memory modules are known the world over for their high Overclockability and their blisteringly tight timings. Recently Crucial were kind enough to send me their GB PC4000 DDR500 kit, this is how it performed.
First Looks from Taiwan – ATI Radeon X1900XTX 512MB
TweakTown :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
QUOTE: “Moving forward, our friends at Gigabyte were kind enough to kick off the trend by letting us into their offices down south of Taipei for a full day last week to test ATI’s new R580 graphics card. The R580 is a refresh version of the R520 GPU (X1800 series) and comes under the name of the X1900 series; specifically we are testing the most high-end X1900XTX 512MB today.”
The Radeon X1900 @ Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
The high-end video card war continues with ATI’s latest GPU X1900 (R580). Sporting 3 times the pixel shader processors over the X1800XT and twice as many as the GeForce 7800GTX ATI has release a real power-horse. Even more important is the fact that the cards already are in stock in some online-stores which means it isn’t a paper-launch.
Windows Vista Build 5270 Review
CoolTechZone :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
“A while back, when Microsoft announced its decision to no longer release a monthly CTP for Vista, we were a bit worried, since we wanted to follow-up on the latest developments of Microsoft’s next-gen. operating system (though Microsoft promised to update current versions via critical updates). To Microsoft’s credit, it has kept its word and has released an update sooner than we had anticipated, and needless to say, the changes in this release are substantial.”
OrigenAE S210 case: 12 hard drive bays and 12 inch LCD Screen front
HTPCnews :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Targus Urban Series Messenger Laptop Bag Review
Laptop Gamers :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Targus is well known as a leader for all things related to laptops. From their series of laptop bags, to all sorts of accessories from mice, power supplies, and cooling devices, every product gets a reasonable level of design and thought to make a mobile techie’s life easy. This latest series of laptop bags known as “Urban”. Using durable materials and built-in concessions for your Digital Lifestyle Devices (i.e.: Cell Phones and MP3 Players), the Urban Series is built for the young mobile professional. Let’s find out how this case survives out in the real world.
X-Micro Mini DisGO 20GB Portable Hard Drive @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
AMD Athlon 64 New Stock Heatsink with 4 Heat Pipes Reviewed
Madshrimps :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Quote: “When it comes free of charge, it may not be bad or an underperformer. The new and improved heatsink from AMD retail pack 165 Opteron comes with 4 heat pipes, topped with 80 x 20mm delta fan with built in temp sensor that will reach 5,200 rpm when it is called for the tough job(s), yet runs quietly during light duty even at 800Mhz overclocked speed.”
Nero 7 Ultra Edition @ Techgage
Techgage :: Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Quote: Nero has released a new version of their Ultimate Edition and we are here to take a look at what’s new and upgraded. There’s so much packed into this bundle, but is it worth your hard earned cash?
AzenX Evo-Jet 2in1 Heatsink @ Pro-Clockers
Pro-Clockers :: Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Quote: If I was to mention the name Dynatron, chances are that a few of you would not know who I am speaking of. But if you are a network technician or work in the technical aspects of computing, you know that Dynatron is one of the largest manufacturers of server cooling. And to aid in their transition into the PC enthusiast market, they with the aid of Azenx for marketing has released the Evo-Jet heatsink.
The Battle For The Digital Home @ The TechZone
The Tech Zone :: Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Forget about the DVD Format of the future skirmish. We’re looking at the collision course of death stars. Jobs has the Mac Mini. Otellini has the ViiV. Gates has Vista. Ruiz and Dell say we’ll have what they are having. Different platforms. Different approaches. Different views of the future. Tellywood and the RIAA aren’t happy with any of them. They are marshalling their Congressional storm troopers and saying not with our content you won’t!
Ministry of Sound StikAx @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Memorex iPod Wraps @ CoolTechZone.com
CoolTechZone :: Tuesday, January 24, 2006
“Everyone else is cashing on iPod’s success, so why not Memorex? At this year’s CES, Memorex was showcasing its iPod Wraps, which, as the name suggests, are designed to wrap around the iPod. The wraps are filled with colorful patterns to give your iPod that vibrant feel.”
VoIP and the Leap of Faith
Designtechnica :: Tuesday, January 24, 2006
“I knew Verizon was no longer interested in having me as a customer when I returned from vacation to find zero messages on my desk phone’s answering machine. And so began a long series of events that culminated in the termination of my land-line account. My two phone lines are now served by different technologies, one of which is Verizon’s number-one source of fear and loathing: VOIP!
The decision to cut my land line was not taken lightly. I am a Bell Babymy father worked for the Bell System back when that was virtually the only phone company in America. I had been a Verizon customer for 25 years. The first time I wrote a check to the company it was called the New York Telephone Company. Then it became NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, and finally Verizon. I’d always assumed I’d be a Verizon customer for life. But life has a way of overturning assumptions.!”
