Tech News June 2003

 

Jab-Tech Thermalright SLK-800U Review
XtReMoDs :: Friday, June 20, 2003

” When cooling is a high priority for you, when you are willing to spend some extra money just to get your system a couple of degrees cooler, then most likely you want only the best of the best inside your computer case. Thermalright’s SLK-800U is just that; this heatsink is one of the best on the market today. “

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Black Aluminum Chenming X-Pider Case
Xoxide :: Sunday, June 15, 2003

 

“The X-Pider Case is the latest in the line of Chieftec Aluminum cases. The case features a new front panel design, as well as some added features. The X-Pider comes complete with one tri led intake fan mounted in the front of the case, two tri led exhaust fans in the rear, and another intake tri led fan mounted right on the side window.”

 

Its only $84.95!

OCZ EL DDR PC3200 Dual Channel Platiunum
OCAddiction :: Friday, June 13, 2003

“With the latest chipsets Canterwood and Springdale recently introduced by Intel, we are in desperate need of the super fast memory that will let us overclock the newer “C” stepping processors. Even stock these CPU’s are running 200MHz so they’ll need an absolute minimum of PC3200. If you plan on overclocking, you’ll want some really good PC3500 or higher. And quite honestly, the hardcore overclocking crowd will be calling for PC4200 and higher very soon. Especially since the introduction of the new Intel P4 2.4C and 2.6C CPU’s. The core of these chips seem to top out at just over 3500MHz. So the 2.4C will need roughly 290MHz and the 2.6C will need around 270MHz to reach the 3500MHz plateau. Currently there is no memory available that is sold guaranteed to run those speeds, but let’s hope companies begin to introduce these to the masses soon.”

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VIA EPIA M10000 Nehemiah Review
I Am Not a Geek :: Friday, June 13, 2003

“The M10000 Nehemiah is a nice step up in the line of EPIA boards from VIA, but it still isn’t the mainboard for those insisting on raw power. Instead it offers a low power, low noise, low cost system ideally suited for rich multimedia, desktop, and internet applications. The miniature size and onboard integration of most of the essential peripherals allow the user the flexibility of endless installation opportunities.”

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Tt Giant II VGA Cooler Review
Overclocker Café :: Friday, June 13, 2003

Finding an extra 21MHz on the core clock is nothing to sneeze at. Every little bit helps if you are looking to turn out some serious FPS. The appeal of the Giant II will be more to the mod crowd in my mind. This thing is so wild looking, it is absolutely begging to be shown off through a case window or in a clear acrylic case. The difficulty in installing the cooler was minimal. The instructions were straight forward and easy to understand

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GMC Trinity X-21 Mid-Tower Case Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM
MODTHEBOX! :: Friday, June 13, 2003

“The top portion of the Trinity X-21 Mid-Tower Case incorporates a digital thermal probe monitor which is embedded behind the two way mirror. The thermal probe can be connected to any heat source for accurately tracking temperature performance in degrees Celsius. The Trinity X-21 also features a swing away door which reveals the external drive bays. A total of 4 x 5.25″ drive bays and 2 x 3.5″ external drive bays are provided to handle any type of computer configuration.”

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MSI 865PE Neo2-FIS2R i865PE motherboard Review
PCStats :: Friday, June 13, 2003
“The Intel i865 Springdale chipset is the next “big” thing for the Pentium 4…. right after the i875 Canterwood of course. Springdale is gaining in popularity primarily because the little chip which gets soldered onto the motherboard offers something on the order of around 97% of the performance of the flagship Intel i875P, for about three-quarters of the price. So what you say? If you’re currently working with an i850E (RDRAM) pentium 4 system and long ago made the decision to pass on the DDR-based i845PE’s which has been wooing consumers for the last six months, you should still take note. Boards which are based on the i850E were faster and more powerfull than their i845PE counterparts, but the i865 tops both. Hey, it is a new chipset after all! Today we’re going to be weighing the pros and cons of MSI’s first entry into the mainstream Springdale (i865PE) desktop mainboard market – the wickedly red MSI 865PE Neo2-FIS2R. This is the top of the line model with all the bells and whistles on board – so if you want to save a few dollars and don’t need all the little extras you can shoot for the ‘vanilla’ 865PE Neo2 version.”

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Zalman ZM400A-APF PSU review @ Hexus.net
Hexus :: Friday, June 13, 2003
“£80 is steep for a 400w PSU. Whether it’s worth it or not depends upon how much you value silence. Recommended to those looking for uber-quiet rigs.”

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Athlon XP Chipset Shootout – VIA KT400 vs. VIA KT400A vs. nVidia nForce 2
TweakTown :: Friday, June 13, 2003
“In terms of the enthusiast, AMD Athlon’s XP processor has now taken second stage to Intel’s all conquering Pentium 4 processor and army of Dual Channel enabled chipsets. AMD continue to battle it out with the support of third party chipset manufacturers, VIA Technology and nVidia, who keep the Athlon XP in the battle for the enthusiasts’ loot. Today Shawn “Toxic” Baker puts nVidia’s Dual Channel nForce 2 up against VIA’s Single Channel KT400 and KT400A chipsets. There can only be one winner, which will it be? Read on and discover the answer!”

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Athlon XP Chipset Shootout – VIA KT400 vs. VIA KT400A vs. nVidia nForce 2
TweakTown :: Friday, June 13, 2003
“In terms of the enthusiast, AMD Athlon’s XP processor has now taken second stage to Intel’s all conquering Pentium 4 processor and army of Dual Channel enabled chipsets. AMD continue to battle it out with the support of third party chipset manufacturers, VIA Technology and nVidia, who keep the Athlon XP in the battle for the enthusiasts’ loot. Today Shawn “Toxic” Baker puts nVidia’s Dual Channel nForce 2 up against VIA’s Single Channel KT400 and KT400A chipsets. There can only be one winner, which will it be? Read on and discover the answer!”

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Magic-Pro MP-P6PE-1000 i865PE Motherboard Review
PCStats :: Friday, June 13, 2003
“As prices continue the downward slide there really has never been a better time to upgrade or buy computer components for a new system. While high end devices are still relatively expensive, mainstream products have never been less expensive; prices are so low in fact that some peripherals seem almost disposable. With the new mainstream Springdale (i865PE) Pentium 4 chipset on the market we’re starting to see the influx of new boards which always accompanies such a release. Of course if you’re looking for a new motherboard, determining which one to get can be a difficult decision. Like the i845PE chipset before it, some might argue that the difference between one i865PE based motherboard and the next is virtually nil. In other words, i865PE-based motherboards all follow similar design guidelines and so they tend to perform within a few percentages of each other under the same circumstances. This doesn’t take into account quality or reliability which can very between manufacturers rather substantially.”

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R&B reviewed a Silent PSU from Zalman called Zm400a
Red & Blackness Mods :: Friday, June 13, 2003

Despite the fact that computers have become commonplace at home and at workplaces for a long time, true user friendliness of the computers are still a long shot. At Zalman Tech, we strive to make that goal a closer reality through extensive research and development of our products. We were the world first in reducing computer’s noise down to lower than 20dB, thus creating a more user friendly computing environment. Now you can use a computer without distracting noise and also form high fidelity audio system or home theatre without ambient noise with one. Zalman Tech will continue to put efforts to creating more enhanced levels of user friendliness in computing; we believe we have sufficient ability and determination.

 

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Hardcano 9 Fan control Review @ Furioustech
Furioustech :: Friday, June 13, 2003

“Fans how many do your have in your case? What about the noise level? Well I have a product that helps control your fans and reduce some of that noise from your PC. The Hardcano series of fan controller. Besides being able to handle four fans it has a LCD readout for real time monitor of temperatures and an alarm function! Do you want the full story? You are going to have to take a look and find out for yourself.”

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Phonex Neverwire 14 (TwinPack) @ TheTechLounge
The Tech Lounge :: Friday, June 13, 2003

Welcome to the future of home networking. Phonex Broadband’s QX-202 NeverWire 14 uses the existing home A/C wiring to pass digital signals between Ethernet-enabled devices, without running new wire. This facilitates sharing a single high-speed Internet modem among multiple computers, sharing data files, streaming audio/video as well as playing interactive computer games between PCs.* The QX-202 allows you the flexibility to place a computer anywhere in your home or small office with flawless, uninterrupted high-speed Internet access, simply by plugging your computer into any QX-202 equipped A/C outlet. The QX-202 NeverWire 14 can also be easily installed by anyone within minutes. How does it stack up against the competition? We will see…

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TR2M1 and TR2M2 Cooler review
Overclocker Café :: Friday, June 13, 2003

Thermaltake has set up a subsidiary to focus on inexpensive cooling solutions. The first coolers released are named, surprisingly, the M1 and M2. Neither of these sinks is designed for any overclocking but they may make a nice alternative choice to replace an OEM product. Here is a snip of the review.

As you can see the M2 with its inserted copper slug easily outperformed the M1, even with the fan running at low speed. While the M1 did cool adequately it’s not going to be an overclocker’s choice, but it will get the job done on a normal system. Given the cost of these coolers the performance isn’t too bad, especially for the M2.

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Gigabyte 7N400Pro nForce 2 Motherboard Review
Overclockers New Zealand :: Friday, June 13, 2003
“Gigabyte’s 7N400Pro is a top performing board, running neck to neck with Epox’s 8RDA+ and Asus’ A7N8X. It is also a feature rich board, with the ability host a whopping 10 IDE hard drives. This would satisfy most of the storage freaks out there. The onboard SATA controller means that you can hook up 7N400Pro with a couple of Western Digital Raptor drives to further enhance your performance. However, the 7N400 failed at overclocking, unable to POST whenever multipliers are changed.”

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Speese Rounded CCFL Fan @ XtReMoDs
XtReMoDs :: Friday, June 13, 2003

” The term you’ve seen on every modding site around, CCFL. Whenever the topic of lighting comes up, when referring to modding at least, the topic of CCFLs can’t be far off. There’s a simple reason why they’re so popular, they look great! CCFLs (which stands for Cold Cathode Florescent Lights) are probably the brightest type of light you can put into your computer. But there are different qualities of CCFLs, not all cathodes are created equal, just like men there are the bright ones, and the not so bright ones. You all know what I’m talking about, but seriously, I’ve heard good and bad things about different cathodes, now it’s time to see how the Round Cold Cathode Fan from Speeze does when it’s plugged in. ”

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Zalman CNPS7000-Cu Cooler review @ Hexus.net
Hexus :: Friday, June 13, 2003
“What attributes should a decent heatsink and fan combination have ?. It should cool well. It should be able to cool well with reasonable voltage load. It should have the ability to dissipate the heat effectively. It should be able to do the above without hurting your eardrums or your wallet. The Zalman CNPS7000-Cu appears to be in a position to fulfill our requirements. Excellent design, aesthetically pleasing, and, above all, a fantastic noise-to-performance ratio make this CPU cooler one of the most enviable. “

 

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KoolPCMods “Swamp Dragon” Laser Etched Acrylic Window
XtReMoDs :: Friday, June 13, 2003

” Everyone is getting into case modding now and its popularity is at an all time high. More people than ever have windows on the side of there computer. Windows are becoming a standard when buying a stock PC. So, the original modders that installed windows themselves aren’t as unique as they used to be. Well here is a way you still can have that leading edge, a laser etched window.

Laser etching is much more detailed then using appliqué. An appliqué is just sticker that go on the side of the windows and that’s about it. Laser etching takes a little more planning, with the ability to get up to 1000 dpi (dots per inch), it’s much more visually appealing. ”

 

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PCToys Neon Maxx Blacklight accent paint
PimpRig :: Friday, June 13, 2003

“A couple of ideas that we have considered outside of our rig are our speaker grills on subwoofers in a car, various items on our desk, Mardi Gras beads, and anything you want to highlight or accent.”

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Leadtek A310TD 128MB FX5600 video card review
Overclockers New Zealand :: Friday, June 13, 2003
“By looking at the scores above, I find it hard to convince the consumers that FX5600 would give them a better gaming experience than a good old GF4 Ti. Generally speaking, Leadtek A310 (FX5600) is around 10~35% slower than a standard GF4 Ti-4800SE. The FX5600 may come out on top if FSAA is used but that is about it.”

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512MB Mushkin PC3500 Black Dual Pack DDR Memory Modules
Tech ARP :: Friday, June 13, 2003

“Ever seen a PC3500 DDR memory module run at 480MHz? How about TWO?! You might, if you have a Mushkin PC3500 Black Dual Pack! Read our definitive review of this amazing memory module to find out how we did it! We will also tell you how to get 10% off Mushkin memory products!”

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Ahanix Iceberg I Water Cooling Kit Review
Tech-Dreams :: Friday, June 13, 2003
In today’s computer market, keeping your processor cool is in big demand. Manufacturers are constantly improving or creating new methods of cooling, the most popular being air-cooling. A normal computer user will not think twice or even acknowledge the temperatures of their case or processor, which means cooling is often overlooked. However, the avid computer user and overclocker makes cooling a top priority, so the OEM heatsinks are upgraded and stronger fans are used. Unfortunately, better cooling comes with a price: higher noise levels during operation can sometimes be overwhelming, deafening, and downright annoying. Water-cooling enters the scene as an extremely quiet alternative. Today, we will be taking a close look at an entry-level water cooling kit manufactured by Ahanix, The Iceberg I Kit.

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Thermaltake Xview Kit Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM
MODTHEBOX! :: Friday, June 13, 2003

“The Thermaltake Xview relies on the EL sheeting which provides a backlight against the printed transparent insert while secured in the acrylic cover. The inverter features an aluminum knob for sensitivity, a bright green LED and a microphone. On one side is a 3-position switch which selects between off, continuous on, or sound sensitive, depending on the consumers preference. As with any inverter, once powered there is a slight whine from the unit, which should disappear once it warms up. The inverter connects to a spare power supply connector or inline with another device.”

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Antec Sonata Case @ ThinkComputers
Think Computers :: Friday, June 13, 2003
“Antec has been in the PC industry since 1986, and remains a leader in power supplies and PC cases. Antec cases have always been know for their quality and reliability, so it comes as no shock that their new line of PC lifestyle cases share these same qualities. The front runner of the lifestyle series that Antec offers is the Sonata. The Sonata is designed with the consumer in mind and is meant to blend into your surroundings. One of the main selling points of this case is its apparent silent construction. Antec constructed this case so that it remains quiet yet very functional.”

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OCZ Ultra II Thermal Paste @ TheTechLounge
The Tech Lounge :: Friday, June 13, 2003

 

OCZ Ultra 2 is a high-quality polysynthetic thermal compound designed to provide maximum thermal transfer between the CPU surface and the heatsink. OCZ Ultra 2 uses a blend of polysynthetic oils that ensure that the compound will not solidify or lose its thermal transfer properties over time. Ultra 2 thermal compound is not electrically conductive, meaning that it is completely safe for use on any surface that requires maximum thermal transfer. Let’s see how well this performs…

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Innovatek Tank-O-Matic Resevoir Review @ GruntvillE.com
GruntvillE :: Friday, June 13, 2003

Once you get into the modding scene or attend a lot of LAN parties; you tend to take notice of your rig a bit more and always give it a sprucing up before the next event. With water cooling and dyes, it seems that the dye will never last forever. It seems that no matter how much you add, if it was old to begin with, it’s going to look old after you add more dye. For those that have already figured this out, you know it’s time to change the water; a nice big resevoir is just what ya need to make things easy!”

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fUnc Surface 1030 @ Viper Lair
ViperLair :: Friday, June 13, 2003
“I found that the fUnc was “slick” enough on both the textured and smooth surface for both ball and optical mice. The fUnc was on-par with the Zoom, and it was much easier to move the mouse on than the Pro or standard plastic pad.”

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Jab-tech Cold Cathode Fan Grills
3dXtreme :: Friday, June 13, 2003
“Initially I figured it would light the fan up similar to the LED case fans we’ve reviewed in the past. I was shocked to see that this $10 piece of hardware could replace usage of a $30 Cold Cathode light…”

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Thermaltake Silent Purepower 480W PSU @ The Tech Lounge
The Tech Lounge :: Friday, June 13, 2003

 

Thermaltake has released a new series of products following the launch of the Xaser III. Besides the case, there is also the Volcano 11 Xaser Edition heatsink (which you can check out here), a keyboard and mouse, and a series of power supplies. Today, we are checking out Thermaltake’s Silent Purepower 480 watt PSU. As the name implies, this product promises to deliver silence and power, two of the most highly sought traits in computer products.

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