Tech News May 2005

by NewsMay 31, 2005June 29, 2014021

The Bard’s Tale (PC) Available Summer 2005; details & screens @ amdgamer
AMDGamer.com :: Saturday, May 21, 2005

“The Bard’s Tale is an action/role-playing game in which the player takes on the role of the Bard, a sardonic and opportunistic musician and adventurer, driven by carnal rather than noble pursuits. The Bard is not interested in saving the world, his humble motivations are strictly coin and cleavage”

Crucial Radeon X850XT 256MB PCI-E review @ XtremeResources
Xtreme Resources :: Saturday, May 21, 2005

“A very large percentage of PC users are compromised of PC gamers. Gamers do not place silence, versatility or even value of their system as their top priority, but only 3D performance. While most of us search and evaluate the best price to performance ratio and solution, the majority of Gamers simply want the best there is when it comes to a video card. However, the best video cards are usually the most expensive. Crucial came forward to offer this portion of that market offering the ATi Radeon X850 XT 256MB card following the reference design, which currently is one of the fastest cards on the planet. Let us see what this card is made of and what it can offer the hardcore enthusiast”

Abit AX8 Review @ InsaneTek
InsaneTek :: Saturday, May 21, 2005

“While VIA K8T890 chipset may be a little lacking in the performance department, die-hard VIA fans will be glad to know that the AX8 is a great implementation of the chipset. It’s budget oriented and overclocks pretty nicely.”

SunBeamTech Wherever PCI Rack @ TechTastic
TechTastic :: Saturday, May 21, 2005

“Let’s face it. There’s a limited amount of slots and space in a computer case. Most computer users wouldn’t even give this a second thought, but among overclockers and case modders it something to consider. Well today we take a look at Sunbeamtech’s Wherever PCI Rack that allows you to install more components to your computer case. Maybe you want to mount a fan just above the videocard for added cooling, or maybe you just want to mount a third hard drive. With the Wherever PCI Rack you can do that and more.”

Antec TruePower 2.0 480W Review @ PC Modding Malaysia
PC Modding Malaysia :: Saturday, May 21, 2005

“With up to 4 SATA power connectors on the TPII-480, you have a solid power supply that is ready to take on anything you can throw at it while not breaking a sweat even at full load. Although the cable management can be a little messy, I wished that the TPII-480 had a few more 4-pin molex connectors. If you’re looking for a decent power supply to cope up with your power hungry system, Antec True Power 2.0 might just be the right hardware for you. Given that the TPII-480 is sold at around USD$99, you can’t get a better power supply for that price! If you’re looking into getting a EPS complaint power supply, you can also check out the TPII-550EPS12V from Antec”

Low-End Buyer’s Guide (Q2’05) @ TheTechLounge
The Tech Lounge :: Saturday, May 21, 2005

“The goal of this guide is to outline an entire low-end computer system for around $750. This includes the internal hardware, input devices, monitor and speakers. The components we have chosen for this system are what we consider to be good all-around products with the best bang for the buck. *Product discounts inside* ”

Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 @ Overclockers Online
Overclockers Online :: Saturday, May 21, 2005
“Although I would not call this a completely silent cooling system, it is an excellent step in the right direction for manufacturers to get products that stress reliability to consumers to strike more interest in water-cooling. If I can get a product, such as the Aquagate, that is easy to install, comes with a 2 year warranty, very cost effective, and provides great cooling, why not?!”

SilverStone TJ06 Case Review @ PC Modding Malaysia
PC Modding Malaysia :: Saturday, May 21, 2005

“The TJ06 is undoubtedly another champion case from SilverStone! Although it is not as perfect as the TJ03 nor TJ05, the TJ06 has its own advantages such as supporting up to five 5.25” drive bays, air guides, aluminum front panel and other neat features. On the installation part, the TJ06 is a very user friendly case and it find it amazingly easy to work with. This is because you only need to open the right side panel and the front panel to install everything whereas most cases needed a lot more effort to get things done. With the price at around USD135, it is quite pricey for a steel case but I believe that the price is worth if you look at the build quality and the features of the case. Anyway, if you find that its advantages appeals to you, then just go ahead and get this case. You won’t regret it since its a SilverStone!”

Jetart JACSH1 Graphics Card Cooler Review @ Adrian’s Rojak Pot
Tech ARP :: Saturday, May 21, 2005

“Everyone has heard of Zalman and Arctic Cooling graphics card coolers but Jetart is relatively unknown in this market. However, they may have a potential winner in their new JACSH1 graphics card cooler!

Don’t ask us about the name – we really have no idea why they named it JACSH1. But we know how well it performs! Check out the review and find out just how good this cooler is! ”

Mushkin DDR PC-4000 Redline Dual Channel Memory Video Review @ 3dGameMan
3dgameman :: Saturday, May 21, 2005

“This memory is aptly named Redline because it’s extremely fast, highly overclockable, stable and reliable. With a timing of 2-2-2-6 at 500MHz DDR it’s wicked fast, but this memory can be pushed even further. This product will easily outperform most other memory. It’s a must have for the performance enthusiast. Redline all the way! Watch the Video to find out more…”

ASPIRE X-QPACK-AL/420 Black/Silver Aluminum MicroATX Computer Case w/ 420W PSU Review @ Tweaknews
Tweaknews :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005

“Did I mention that I like big cases? Well, I do. I also like the Aspire X-QPACK. It looks good without sacrificing functionality. It’s compact, yet offers room for two 5.25 inch drives, two hard drives and a floppy. It’s lightweight, but still quite sturdy. The carry handle makes for easy portability and the cooling is surprisingly good. With three windows, LED fans, LCD temperature display, a 420W power supply with a dynamite finish and sleeved cables, and five color choices it also gets big points as a pre-modded case. In fact, the X-QPACK really challenges the modder to mod the components inside the case, as so much of the interior is visible.”

GeIL Ultra-X UTT BH5 Contest: 2 Weeks Left! @ InsaneTek
InsaneTek :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005
“GeIL Ultra-X UTT BH5 Contest: 2 Weeks Left! @ InsaneTek GeIL’s new Ultra-X memory based on the Winbond UTT BH5 memory is getting excellent reviews and results all over the world. Here’s your chance to get some for free!”

Virtual-Hideout Visits Performance-pcs.com @ Virtual-Hideout
Virtual-Hideout :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005

“V-H headed to the sunshine state of Florida recently to check out one of the best online mod shops in the business. We rode an air boat on the everglades, tackled hungry gators, even survived a shark slaying all in order to get you the scoop on performance-pcs.com and see if they deserve your hard earned cash. You won’t want to miss this adventure! ”

A Guide To Audio Cables – Do They Sound Different? @ The Tech Zone
The Tech Zone :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005
“One of the most common questions asked by consumers faced with purchasing cables for their audio or home theater system is, “What is so important about cables anyway?” They can cost as much or more than some of the hardware in the system and to many it is difficult to understand why wire isn’t just wire.”

Aerocool Magic-3D ATX Computer Case Reviewed @ Hi-Techreviews
Hi-Techreviews :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005

“Aerocool’s newest case the Magic-3D may be perfect case for those of you that have a processor that is running just a bit to hot since the case comes with a pair of 120mm twin-bladed turbine Aerocool fans and the case has room for one additional 120mm at the rear of the case for a total of three. So as you can see this case will definitely provide you with plenty of air flow. So come on along as we check out the rest of the features of this newest addition to their line-up.”

Western Digital (WD740GD) 74GB “Raptor” HDD Review @ Virtual-Hideout
Virtual-Hideout :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005

“I had been eyeing the Raptor ever since it has hit the market because of the performance it has vs. the standard IDE drives. This drive is simply amazing. It can be compared to the top end SCSI drives without the price tag. The drive may be more expensive than a normal SATA drive but the 10,000RPM speed is just phenomenal. ”

EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra (nForce 4 Ultra AMD) Motherboard Review @ TweakTown
TweakTown :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005
“EPoX sent us one of their newest motherboards recently, the 9NPA+ Ultra, which is based on nVidia’s new nForce 4 Ultra chipset for the AMD Athlon Socket 939 processor platform. We’ve compared the motherboard against the nForce 4 SLI chipset to find out if there are any differences in performance in a non-SLI system setup. If you’re on the market for a new PCI-Express Socket 939 motherboard with some decent overclocking support, you might be interested in the EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra.”

Cool by Corsair 120MM Advanced PC CPU Liquid Cooling System Review @ Futurelooks
Futurelooks :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005
“Have a super loud CPU fan sitting inside your case that you want to quiet down? Looking for something much quieter and quite possibly more awesome? We check out Corsair’s very own liquid cooling system to see if its all that”

FlashPEZ mod @ MetkuMods
MetkuMods :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005

“In this particular mod the idea is to use PEZ candy dispensers as a case for flash memory devices. You may find this mod interesting or fail to see the point completely. In any case, here it is. :)”

Titan Alaska 3D HD Cooler (TTC-HD88) @ eXtreme Hardware
eXtreme Hardware :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005

“Although many consider hard drive coolers as an insignificant addition to the cooling world, there are those who buy a cooler for the heck of it, or just for looks. But what do hard drive coolers really do? At what point does a hard drive actually need active cooling in order to sustain stability? Well, one things for sure, you most probably won’t reach that temperature under normal circumstances. So what else does an HD cooler, such as the Titan Alaska 3D HD Cooler (TTC-HD88), have to offer? We’ll find out in this review”

Aspire X-QPack Case @ Viperlair
ViperLair :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005
“Those of you looking to build a SFF PC from scratch will want to give the Aspire X-QPack a close look as it offers more in terms of options from most pre-built SFF PCs. Overall, it’s a decently designed chassis though it doesn’t stray too far from the basic fundamentals of a “cube” SFF.”

Corsair XMS2 PC2-4300 Pro 1GB DDR2 Twin2X Review @ Overclockers Online
Overclockers Online :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005
“The Corsair memory modules tested here today presented a great deal of value compared to SimpleTech’s offering we most recently looked at. What’s more is that the Corsair memory features extras that users might expect when spending more than $200 for memory; heatspreaders, lower latencies, higher stock frequency, and Corsair’s unique activity LEDs. I can say that I’d recommend this memory to people looking for fast, stable, and high performing memory. Most users, with current chipsets won’t find this memory or any other DDR2 we’ve looked at so far to limit their system overclocks.”

Thermaltake Soprano Case Review @ CoolTechZone
CoolTechZone :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005

“Thermaltake is no stranger to the computing scene. They have been designing cooling products for five years now, starting with the infamous Golden Orb CPU cooler. They have come a long way since then and have diversified their product line beyond CPU coolers. Thermaltake has been producing cases since 2002, when they first established their Xaser line”

Mitron Aluminum Reservoir Review @ PC Modding Malaysia
PC Modding Malaysia :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005

“Although the Mitron reservoir only able to best ordinary reservoir with 1C during our testing but this doesn’t apply to the other users as well because it also depends on the airflow, environment, and many other factors. Anyway this Mitron reservoir looks cool and easy for users to add the coolant if it is mounted externally. The Mitron anodized aluminum externally mounted reservoir is really good especially for hardcore water cooling users if they do not care to pay more and the hassle of the installation in some certain cases.”

Thermaltake CircleFire Review @ GruntvillE
GruntvillE :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005

“Now it’s time for the bad news… The 2W speaker is very low quality and has a squawking, somewhat ‘tinny’ sound. I honestly believe my Nintendo GameBoy from 10+ years ago had better sound. To make things worse, the volume button on the unit has three states; Loud, Louder, and Louder+1. The only way I could tolerate the sound was to have the Circlefire set on the lowest setting, and drop my PC volume to less than 25%. And I use “tolerate” in the least enthusiastic way possible.”

Corsair PC3200XL v1.2: Why Not Name It PC4800? @ InsaneTek
InsaneTek :: Wednesday, May 18, 2005

“Corsair’s TCCD v1.1 isn’t known as a great overclocker. Their touched up TCCD v1.2 features a “special” Brainpower PCB and one low price. The result? High overclocking headroom for everyone.”

Linux vs. Windows Web Hosting @ The Tech Zone
The Tech Zone :: Sunday, May 15, 2005

“Microsoft developed and owns the Windows operating system. Linux is open source and generally free. This means it can often be more expensive to set up and run a Windows server. However, this fact doesn’t really affect you unless you are actually setting up a server for yourself and if you’re reading this article then I’m guessing that it’s safe to assume you’re not.”

Point of View GeForce 6600 GT Review @ Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Sunday, May 15, 2005
“Being a reviewer, it is sometimes easy to forget that not everyone can afford all those high-end cards that we get to review. Not everyone wants to spend as much on a video card as they do on the rest of the system. NVIDIA and ATI of course know that and have released a bunch of low and mid-end cards catering for every size of wallet.

Today, I am reviewing one of these cards, the Point of View 6600 GT, a mid-level card using the NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GT chipset.”

Vantec All in 1 USB Card Reader @ Techniz.co.uk
Techniz.co.uk :: Sunday, May 15, 2005

“The size of the Vantec All in 1 USB Internal Card Reader is specially design to be mount into the 3.5″ drive bay. It also bundles with a extra face plate to be exchange in order to match the color of your case. The card reader function is even better, it able to support the CF/CF ll, MMC/MMC2, SD,SM, Microdrive, MS, MS DUO, MS Pro and MS Pro DUO. Beside that, there is two LED indicators for the Power and Activity individually. The MSRP of each unit is at around $18 USD only. So, the price is very affordable for a internal card reader with USB port.”

Mountain Mods U2-UFO Brushed Aluminum Case @ SystemCooling
SystemCooling :: Sunday, May 15, 2005

“For the computer enthusiast and modder there never seems to be enough room inside your computer case. With all the lights, fans and water cooling, you’re lucky to find a place just for your basic components let alone anything extra. Mountain Mods has a solution to that problem and what’s even better, it looks great and it’s light. Mountain Mods has been in the computer case business for almost 2 years, making high end custom cases and special made to order cases as well. Today we’re going to be looking at their U2-UFO brushed aluminum case to see just what the case has to offer the modder and enthusiast alike.”

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