ASUS Triton 75 CPU Cooler Review
Virtual Hideout :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
“Asus offers a myriad of CPU coolers, ranging from fanned, to fans with LED’s, to the silent fan-less models. Most of the coolers are universally compatible with AMD and Intel processors. So, with this many options, what type of cooler will we have in this review? Well, I’m sure you already have a pretty good idea just from the name in the title, but I will still name it fully here. The CPU cooler in the spotlight this time around is the ASUS Triton 75. The Triton 75 is a fan-less CPU cooler that helps dissipates heat away from the core roughly 10% faster than other coolers. The fan-less design allows the end user to choose whatever brand of 120mm fan they want.”
2008 CES Coverage: Art Lebedev
OCIA :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
“We stopped by the Art Lebedev Studio booth in the Sands convention center on Tuesday. You may already be familiar with the name Art Lebedev: these are the guys responsible for the Optimus Maximus keyboard, which has been a very hot product this past year.”
CES 2008: Microsoft
Think Computers :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
“Microsoft was a strong presence at CES 2008. Its booth was one of the largest, and much of the space was devoted to companies using Microsoft products in their own products. While the Redmond, Wa. giant didn’t unveil any new technologies or products at CES, it did show off some of its recent releases. Windows Home Server and the new Zune revision were present, as was Origami 2.0, Microsoft’s upcoming revision of its UMPC software.”
AMD clarifies Phenom delays, cites customer input
TechSpot :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
AMD publicly stated late last year that it would be able to offer quad-core AMD Phenom 9700 and 9900 CPUs with fixed erratum as well as at higher clock-speeds in Q1 2008. However, the chipmaker recently notified its partners that the launch of its higher-end chips will be postponed until next quarter.
Noctua NF-P12 120mm Fan Review
Mikhailtech :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Many of us are not happy by the noise that our computers are making. I am one of those people, and I know how annoying fans can become especially when you want to work in a quiet environment. After hearing about Noctua, I thought, well this could be just another company that states that their fans are totally silent, but I was wrong. I got a sample of Noctua’s NF-P12 120mm fan and I was shocked by how quiet computers can become. Noctua’s fans use high-grade components as well as extremely strict quality control in order to maintain the highest possible quality standard. In this review I will be looking at the Noctua NF-P12 fan. The NF-P12 is the latest fan that Noctua has to offer at the moment. So let’s take a look at what this fan has to offer.
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB HDD Review
OCIA :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
“With drives as large as 1TB (that’s a terabyte, you know… 1024GB) available in mainstream technology, the once considered monstrous 500 giggers now seem like pocket change and are the budget user’s choice buy. Today we’re going to have a look at Western Digital’s 500GB Caviar SE16 (WD5000AAKS) drive, one of the most popular drive for system builders lately.”
CES 2008: Antec
ThinkComputers :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
“This year at CES Antec showed us quite a few of their new products. They invited us up to their suite at the Wynn to show us what they will have for us this year. We have the scoop on the Mini P180, Twelve Hundred, Three Hundred, Fusion Max, and the Signature power supply series. Read on to find out more…”
CSX Cases by Cooler Master
Hardware Secrets :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
“CSX is a partnership between Cooler Master and Smooth Creations USA to provide professional-grade paint job and artwork for Cooler Master cases. So you can buy from them any Cooler Master case with an outstanding paint job. You can either choose from one of their existing artworks or ask them to create an exclusive artwork for you. On Cooler Master booth during CES 2008 we could see several different artworks they have available; the final quality of the paint job is one of the best we’ve seen, using automotive painting. In this article we will show you all the cases they were displaying during CES 2008.”
Sunbeamtech Freezing Storm reviewed
Burnout PC :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
“It’s been a case bonanza the last few weeks here at BurnOutPC. We’ve looked at two Antec cases, two revoltec cases, and now it’s time for Sunbeamtech to step into the game and see what their made of. Sunbeamtech has been around for a while now. At first only active in the casemodding scene, but later with unique high performance products under their subsidiary brand Tuniq. Sunbeam has had a few cases in their assortment already, one of those is the Freezing Storm.”
Super Talent PC14400 1800Mhz DDR3 2GB Memory Kit Review
Tweaknews :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
“The Super Talent PC3-14400 CL7-7-7-21 High-Speed DDR3 1800MHz 2x1GB RAM kit W1800UX2GP is like a fine wine, it’s not going to be appeasing to all types of taste pallets. This ram is defiantly tailor made for the high-end enthusiast that wants the fastest memory performance possible. One quick glance at spec sheets, you will find few boards at this time list official 1800MHz support.”
In Win Allure mATX Case Review
Hardware Canucks :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
If you’re expecting this case to appeal to the hardcore gamer with flames on the sides and a skull on top, then go somewhere else… unless this hardcore gamer is buying a case for his girlfriend. The Allure is aimed straight at the most womanly of computer users; the flower art work and Swarovski crystals ensure that no one else would be interested in it.
ASUS Silent Knight II CPU Cooler Review
Virtual Hideout :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
“The most promising physical technological improvements have been, and still are, the implementation of heat pipes. Manufacturers have designed heat pipe specific CPU coolers using various numbers of pipes. Some makers design theirs with only a couple heat pipes while others seem to add as many as they can fit on a CPU cooler. Some look like CPU coolers and others look like engines with copper headers. While all these variations have their own appeal, ASUS has chosen to design coolers with a more isometric feel in their lineup.
We’ve seen a few of their coolers here at VH before and they were always worthy of recommendations. We have a new one on hand that is actually an updated version of the original Silent Knight CPU Cooler. Today, the Silent Knight II CPU Cooler is on the work bench and looks quite promising.”
Foxconn F1 Motherboard Prototype
Hardware Secrets :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
“During CES 2008 Foxconn showed us a prototype of a motherboard based on a non-revealed Intel chipset (probably Intel’s forthcoming P45 chipset) that will have four PCI Express x16 slots, allowing four video cards under CrossFireX using an Intel solution. It is not only that, this prototype – internally known as F1 – will come with a water-cooling solution to cool down the chipset and the transistors from the voltage regulator circuit, and below the north bridge block it has a thermoelectric cooler (TEC, a.k.a. “Peltier”).”
AMD delays faster Phenoms, juggles B3 allocations
Tech Report :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
We reported earlier today that AMD was denying problems with the upcoming B3 stepping of its quad-core processors, the new rev of the chip expected to squash the TLB erratum and, perhaps more importantly, to cast off the performance hit cause by the erratum workaround. AMD maintains that some B3-step chips are still on track for introduction this quarter, but it has delayed the introduction of faster Phenom 9700 (2.4GHz) and 9900 (2.6GHz) processors into the second quarter of 2008.
PC Hardware Myths To Avoid In 2008 
Tech ARP :: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
“Okay, those are the few myths that have gotten on my nerves whenever I try to give sound advice to customers at the PC shop where I work. I try to educate buyers but when one’s mind is set (thanks to the very effective marketing strategies used by PC hardware companies), one can only watch and listen to their woes later.”
SmarThumb Software Review
Dragonsteel Mods :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Last year we took a look at a few useful programs from SmarThumb, these programs are small and made to be installed on a USB Drive and taken with you as a portable suite of different types of software. They’ve recently released Vista compatible versions of their more popular tools and have me to check them out and give my impressions. One thing interesting about working with companies is that I sometimes get to actually help in the development of products, especially software like this. When I first received it I found a couple bugs and of course reported them and asked to be advised on how to proceed. So of course I got on IM with the developer and we spent a few hours bouncing back and forth and trying out different versions of the software to make sure it’s 100% compatible with Vista. I’m not going to go into boring details about all that, but with my help new versions of the software were released that now function as they should. I’m sure I won’t get credit or anything but that doesn’t really matter, it was fun to do, and just knowing that I was part of the process is kinda cool… So, read on to check out the four new versions of the SmarThumb Software, myBackup, myEncoder, myShredder and myZip. This review will be done a bit differently than others, in that each page will be devoted to one of the programs…
Kingston Media Reader Hi-Speed 19-in-1 Card Reader Review
Dragonsteel Mods :: Monday, January 14, 2008
While I was reviewing the Kingston CompactFlash Ultimate 266X 4GB Card, I ran into an issue with read speeds on the compact flash cards I was testing, luckily my contact at Kingston was able to send out a press sample of the Kingston 19-in-1 Card Reader, besides helping me finish that review, this card reader has become the swiss army knife for all my flash memory needs. With nineteen different reader interfaces, I challenge you to find a popular flash memory card that this device will not be able to read. Flash readers are great for transferring data from flash media and for using memory cards as portable storage. The 19-in-1 Card Reader is a USB 2.0 reader, with its small form factor and retractable USB cable, this device is portable to be carried with a laptop and stylish enough to be displayed out on ones desk. Let’s get started…..
CES 2008: Logitech
Techgage :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Logitech today announced five new products that bring media convenience to a new level. Included is a brand-new Harmony One remote, diNovo Mini keyboard, Squeezebox Duet, Z Cinéma surround-sound system and a bluetooth MX 5500 desktop.
USB Flash Card 2GB MP3 Player Review
Dragonsteel Mods :: Monday, January 14, 2008
It’s been a long time since I’ve reviewed any mp3 players, I’ve personally got one that I love, it’s the S.Beat from Swiss Memory and it goes quite a few places with me all the time for when I get the chance to listen to it. There are other mp3 players out there besides the iPod, believe it or not, and I’ve never quite understood the fascination with having 20+ gigs of storage on a portable music device, my S.Beat is a 1 gig and I’ve never filled it yet, there’s just not that much I like I guess. So I can’t figure out how people actually can listen to 20+ gigs of music, or have that much that they actually like… Anyway, today for review I’ve got a small and portable, credit card sized mp3 player from our friends at Brando WorkShop, it’s officially called the USB Flash Card MP3 Player, and it’s the 2Gig capacity variety, which should be more than enough for most people…
The Next Big Thing For PCMech Is…
PC Mechanic :: Monday, January 14, 2008
As we come to the end of another work week, I can tell you that this week I am tired. Why? Because I have been working hard to set something new up. Something that is coming to PCMech and that I really believe is going to change the scope of PCMech in a big way. […]
Disable Outlook 2003 Connectivity Balloon Error Messages
PC Mechanic :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Outlook 2003 automatically displays error messages from the system tray when connectivity issues are detected. Unfortunately, when using mail servers off-site, these balloon tip error messages tend to appear excessively, even when there are actually no problems. You can stop these messages with a couple quick registry fixes: Go to Start > Run and type regedit. Navigate […]
CES 2008: Toshiba
Techgage :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Toshiba may be having a rough time handling their latest HD DVD blow, but other products shown off at their press conference show that things are going well in other areas. New displays were unveiled in addition to a few unique display technologies, including DynaLight and PixelPure.
CES 2008 Coverage
Overclockers Club :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Scribd.com Hoses My Docs, Is Your Content Safe There?
PC Mechanic :: Monday, January 14, 2008
As more and more of us put our neck out there by putting our information and documents on the Internet, it becomes more of an issue that you simply down OWN your own work anymore. We have Scoble’s recent banning from Facebook (he has since been reinstated). And today, I got banned from Scribd.com. Scribd.com […]
Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator Review
Overclockers Club :: Monday, January 14, 2008
CES Unveiled: A CES Preview for the Press
Techgage :: Monday, January 14, 2008
CES Unveiled is one of the smaller events at CES, but there were a handful of products being showcased worthy of your attention. Of these is Edifier’s wireless Rainbow audio transmitter, Yoggie’s security thumb drive, SentrySafe’s hard-drive protectors, Beko’s thin HDTVs and more.
Put IE7’s Menu Bar On Top
PC Mechanic :: Monday, January 14, 2008
One of the most common annoyances early on with IE7 was that the File Menu wasn’t on top as with most Windows applications. Here’s a quick registry tweak to move it to the top of the window where you would expect to find it: Go to Start > Run and type regedit. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar\WebBrowser Create […]
HighPoint RocketRAID 2300 & 1740 SATA II Preview
Overclockers Club :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Duke Nukem Teases with New 2008 trailer
Maxit Mag :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Looks like the Duke is ready to come out of hiding and start ramping up the media hype. 11 years in the making and a hundred game engine changes later, the almost total media silence from 3Drealms (http://www.3drealms.com) about their follow up to the hugely successful Duke Nukem 3D game has lifted with a teaser trailer for Duke Nukem Forever. In typical 3Drealms fashion it shows little more than some cut scene footage of Duke weight training and gives no real indication to the quality of the game engine they are now using. But who cares. The good news is that there really is a Duke Nukem game in the pipeline and just maybe 2008 could be the year we all get to kick some alien butt and chew bubblegum. The loyal fans on the 3Drealms forums are over the moon – you just can’t keep a Duke fan down and the promise of more media footage must mean 3Drealms are getting close to the goal post. For now here’s the Duke pumping up. Asta la vista baby. cWuteFLUPSY
CES 2008: NETGEAR Press Conference
Techgage :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Netgear’s been positively humming with activity lately, averaging one product release per week in 2007 (with the exception of the holiday weeks.) We check in with them to see what they’ve got in store for us in 2008, and to put it plainly, we like what we see.
Dot-Info Domains For a Buck
PC Mechanic :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Note before starting this one: PCMech.com receives no perks from this. This is just us passing on the savings to you. Dotster, my all-time favorite domain registrar, is have a promotion right now where you can get 1-year dot-info domain registrations for 99¢. So everyone is aware, I have bought 99-cent dot-info domains from Dotster before. […]
CES 2008 Booth Babes
Maxit Mag :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Well it’s CES time of the year again – the hot technology showcase in Las Vegas – and of course the booth babes were out in force to attract would be buyers and enthusiasts with their hardware. It’s amazing that a beautiful babe is still considered necessary to sell gadgets in the 21st century – I mean what do boobies and technology have in common. Ok I guess they are both great to play with and the packaging is invariably difficult to remove with one hand. But apart from that a gorgeous babe offering me a look at the latest bit of kit would in no way influence my decision to buy the product. Okay I’m lying. It would. I’m a sucka for hot pants and hardware. Bring on the babes (http://gadgetmodels.i4u.com/gadget_photo_model_CES-2008-Booth-Babe-Gallery-2_thumbs.html).
CES 2008: Intel Announces Sixteen 45nm Processors
Techgage :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Intel has just announced sixteen new 45nm-based CPU offerings, but the desktop Quad-Cores will have to wait for actual launch until “sometime” in Q1. Available this month are both the desktop and mobile Dual-Core units. Pricing and specs inside.
Open PDFs Outside Of Your Browser
PC Mechanic :: Monday, January 14, 2008
One function you might find annoying with PDFs and PDF Readers is that when you click on a link to a PDF, it opens in a browser window, rather than its own PDF Reader window. Here is how to change this behavior for each of the major browsers: In Opera, go to Tools > Preferences and […]
Lacie Lacineman Premier Wows Film Fans
Maxit Mag :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Lacie have launched a new product to easily turn your TV into an entertainment center for enjoying your movies, photos and music in comfort. Simply connect the LaCinema Premier to your PC or Mac via USB to transfer your digital media files then plug it into your TV for instant playback. Designed with HDTV screens in mind, it can adapt video content up to a 1080i resolution. Enjoy surround sound thanks to its optical output capability. They are touting it as fun and simple to use with an easy-to navigate on-screen menu and convenient remote control. The LaCie LaCinema Premier (http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=11002) is available in capacities of 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB. With prices starting at around $229 for the LaCie LaCinema Premier 500GB model, it’s looking like a great product for film buffs. More specs over the page.
The Reviews Are Back! January 11 – 13
PC Mechanic :: Monday, January 14, 2008
As many of you know, the largest trade show for consumer technology CES 2008 show took place this past week. Here are several reviews coming out of the show: CES 2008 Day 2 – Day 2 is over. “Lastly, Crucial has unveiled the Ballistix Tracer Red series of modules. These modules are basically the same as the […]
Shogo Touchscreen Photo Frame with WiFi
Maxit Mag :: Monday, January 14, 2008
SHOGO is the first touch screen WiFi lifestyle digital picture frame designed to receive, view and share digital pictures with friends and family around the world. All without a PC. With its wireless Internet/WiFi connection and integrated battery plus 1 Gb of built-in memory, the neat looking screen allows lots of photos to be displayed in their original 4:3 format. The auto rotate function automatically adjusts photos and menus in either portrait or landscape position. Thanks to the built in WiFi support, the tricks don’t stop there. The SHOGO can do show weather forecasts, listen to Internet radios and allsorts of nifty digital content freeing. Every Shogo frame (http://www.realease.com) is easily managed from the free myshogo.com portal, an internet-based portal that is fully integrated with major photo portal sites such as Flickr, Picasa, SmugMug and .Mac. From an industry perspective, myshogo.com is a fully functional Internet-based content provisioning service that provides back end web-based services that automatically “update†each frame with pictures and other digital content such as weather forecasts and RSS feeds. From the user’s perspective, it’s like magic: with myshogo.com, you can manage your mother or grandmother’s Shogo frame remotely. And with the “Shogo Friend†capability, you can share your favorite shots from your Shogo, instantly and with one or multiple friends without a PC. Specifications for the SG 080 include a 8” 800×600 TFT LCD display capable of displaying 32.000 colors (16 bit), touch screen navigation, integrated battery for cordless operation, integrated memory card reader: SD/MS/MMC/xD/SDHC, RF remote control, WiFi 802.11 B/G / Ethernet / USB 1.1 and mini USB, stereo audio and audio out jack and dimensions of 200 x 160 x 32mm.
CES 2008: DeviceVM’s Splashtop
Techgage :: Monday, January 14, 2008
We caught up with DeviceVM at CES to see what’s new with their Splashtop embedded Linux environment, which we first saw on the ASUS P5E3 Deluxe motherboard. As we found out, development has been steady with many new features implemented and ready for deployment with notebooks.
Apple Launches New Ad: Time Machine
PC Mechanic :: Monday, January 14, 2008
I saw a new ad today on TV while watching the San Diego and Indianapolis game. It was another Apple ad, this one touting Time Machine. Time Machine is, of course, the new backup feature built into OS X Leopard. This newest ad is part of the ongoing Get a Mac series of TV commercials. I […]
Is The Tech Economy Going to Crash?
PC Mechanic :: Monday, January 14, 2008
David takes a look at the 2008 economy and asks whether us geeks are going to see a slowdown of fortune. Also, he talks about what you can do to weather the potential storm.
Use a Domain Name Instead Of Your IP
PC Mechanic :: Monday, January 14, 2008
Having to remember your home IP address, especially when it changes from time to time, is rather cumbersome, especially if you tend to use VNC, SSH, Remote Access, or any other method to access your home computer/network. Here’s how to do it: Register for an account at DynDNS. This is a dynamic DNS service […]
Aerocool I-Curve+ Case Review
3d Xtreme :: Saturday, January 12, 2008
Aerocool has been delivering us their newest products for quite a while now and they have always impressed us with their latest designs. Today 3DXtreme is taking a look at the newest member of the ever growing product line of Cases from Aerocool. An intake, exhaust and two side intakes push the I-Curve+ Case to the edge of what’s possible with air cooling within a Case. The front panel LCD with touch button controls adds a little bit of fruit to the mix, reminiscent of an Apple perhaps?”
Thermaltake SwordM Full Tower Case Review
Tweaknews :: Saturday, January 12, 2008
“Overall, the SwordM is an exciting case to work with. The thick aluminum construction is expertly manufactured and aggressive styling throughout give it a look all its own. The hydraulic-powered top and side panels will surely turn heads, even if their usefulness may be questionable. This chassis comes equipped with just about every feature imaginable and then some, so it can easily be a case that lasts through several more system builds.”
GIGABYTE X48-DQ6 Mobo – DES Arrives!
Tweak Town :: Saturday, January 12, 2008
“Today we have a look at the Intel X48 chipset for the first time. While it has a new name, things haven’t changed; in fact, X48 is essentially an X38 chipset that has been hand picked to run higher clock speeds and to support the 1600MHz FSB CPU when Intel finally releases it sometime this year.
We have our first X48 board in hand from GIGABYTE; dubbed the X48-DQ6 it packs in some mighty features including a new heat and voltage management technology. Let’s see how it all comes together.”
NZXT Rogue Crafted Series SFF Gaming Case
Benchmark Reviews :: Saturday, January 12, 2008
As an Enthusiast I have always considered many Small Form Factor cases to host my gaming rig, and I can comfortably state that a large number of members of gaming community consider SFF cases as well, but in my case full or mid tower cases have always been my choice due to higher cooling potential and better airflow they have been known to offer. Today at Benchmark Reviews we have the new NZXT Rouge Crafted Series SFF gaming chassis which focuses on key-points such as higher cooling potential, supporting bigger power supplies and most importantly hosting the highest end gaming cards with no size restrictions. Please join us as we explore NZXT’s newest addition to SFF gaming cases.
