Tech News November 2004

 

UPS Roundup @ Bjorn3d.com
Bjorn3D :: Thursday, November 11, 2004
Bonnie. Charlie. Frances. Ivan. Jeanne. Are these the names of 17th century British ships? Paris Hilton’s puppies? Guests at a swinger’s party? No, they were Atlantic hurricanes in 2004 that had a direct impact on my home state of Florida. I was fortunate in that their destructive power was primarily focused outside of my city, but my home was still directly impacted by several of the storms. In addition to high winds and heavy rain, our home’s power continually surged, dimmed, and went out completely for over 36 hours. By the time Frances blew through, I was really convinced I needed a UPS!

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Mushkin PC3200 L2V2 @ Viper Lair
ViperLair :: Thursday, November 11, 2004

“Of course true enthusiasts will want to overclock, and the samples I have here have shown themselves to be capable of near PC4000 speeds which is quite a jump from PC3200. Timings had to be loosened to reach the higher speeds but the headroom is there. If you are a mild overclocker of P4 systems, or you run an AMD system, then this ram would be suitable for you.”

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HEXUS.net Review: MSI RX700PRO-TD256E
Hexus :: Thursday, November 11, 2004
Snip: “MSI has done a decent job in turning an RV410 GPU into a fully-fledged retail package. £160 or so buys you a competent midrange graphics card and a bundle to rival the best. Too often manufacturers overlook the bundle but MSI hasn’t made that mistake. There’s games aplenty and documentation is excellent. The choice you have to make is which PCIe GPU to go for. Both NVIDIA and ATI make compelling cases. If you decide that an X700 PRO best fits your needs and budget I can heartily recommend MSI’s RX700PRO.”

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Home Networking DIY Guide
PCStats :: Thursday, November 11, 2004
“Home networking can be a daunting topic for computer users who are unfamiliar with the intricacies of network technology, even if Windows XP’s new features make the process vastly easier than it used to be. To help home users out with this essential subject, Cisco Press recently released a new book entitled “Home Networking: A Visual Do-It-Yourself Guide,” this 175-page softcover book falls into the lower-priced category of computer guidebooks, which certainly makes it an easy addition to your tech library.”

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Swiftech MCP650 Pump and MCRES-525 Reservoir
SystemCooling :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing several of Swiftech’s water cooling and water cooling related offerings over the last few months. All of them impressed me with their quality and ease of use. When Tommy informed me that Swiftech had offered us their brand spanking new reservoir and their newest 12v pump, I jumped at the chance to review them. Both of these parts play an integral part in Swiftech’s current water cooling kits, so let’s see if they improve over their forbearers and are worthy of your hard earned cash.”

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Overclocking AMD Athlon64 FAQs 101
InsaneTek :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“For me, the most interesting technology of the AMD Athlon64 processor is not the 64-bit processing power. 64-bit desktop processors are bound to be made sooner or later. What I found interesting was the fact that AMD decided to have the memory controller on the CPU itself. This certainly raises a lot of eyebrows. Normally the motherboard Northbridge chipset is the memory controller, providing the transition between CPU processing and memory fetching. This is no longer the case. Compatibility will no longer be between motherboard and memory, but rather CPU and memory. The on-die memory controller has a lot of little secrets that not many people are aware of.”

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Futurelooks’ HALO 2 Preview for the xBox
Futurelooks :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

” 2004 will be the year of the most anticipated games! It was Doom 3 for the PC, and now we have HALO 2 for the xBox. Check out our Preliminary thoughts before North America’s November 9th release!”

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ThermalRight XP-120 Heatsink and LGA 775 RM Review
Hi-Techreviews :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“In our continuing search for the perfect cooling solution for the LGA 775 platform we have found what may turn out to be the ‘Final Solution’. Today we are reviewing the Thermalright XP-120 heatsink along with the new LGA 775RM (Retention Bracket). The LGA 775RM allows the Thermalright XP-120 and XP-90 heatsinks to be used on most LGA 775 motherboards. So how does this behemoth perform when we fasten it on top of an overclocked Prescott? Read the review to find out. ”

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InsaneTek Wallpaper Contest
InsaneTek :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“November is here and so is our new contest. Our new contest is simple. Create wallpapers with the InsaneTek theme and keep it in a resolution of 1024×768. Entries will be limited to 5 submissions per participant. At the end of the contest, the InsaneTek staff will vote on the best 3 designs.”

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Corsair XMS4400 CAS2.5 Review
Overclocker Café :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“Once the XMS4400C25 tapped out, we could go back and loosen the timings to 3-4-4-8 which should give us a little more reach. Too bad we couldn’t locate the components to actually take Corsair to its farthest overclocking limit. This statement I think sums everything here up – when you can’t put together a system to even find the limit of some memory, you can easily infer that it kicks arse!”

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XGI Tech Volari V8 @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“With the V3XT from XGI Tech not fully satisfying our gaming demands, we have scavenged further through the Volari line of graphics cards and have found a mate which should prove to be more reliable in a gaming system, and it’s the XGI V8.”

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Part 3 of the Virtual Memory Optimization Guide Rev. 4.0 Posted!
Tech ARP :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“Even today, virtual memory is still very important component of the operating system. No matter how much memory you have, there is always a need for virtual memory. Therefore, its performance is of great importance. Optimizing the virtual memory system will greatly improve the performance of the computer.

Today, we will take an in-depth look at virtual memory, what it really is and how to optimize it! In this edition, we will also take a thorough look at moving the paging file to a different partition as well as the pros and cons of moving it to a different hard disk. Come and check out the definitive Virtual Memory Optimization Guide!”

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Hitachi Desktar 250GB SATA Hard Drive
Techwarelabs :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“Starting as an electrical shop, Hitachi has come along way since its beginnings. Hitachi has been ahead of the pack lately, releasing large sized hard drives before the competition. The latest offers are the 250 GB and 400 GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA Drives. We had a chance to review and benchmark the 250 GB drive in our labs.”

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Akasa Power Eyes Review
Mikhailtech :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“The Power Eyes come in a set of 5 in the retail package shown. You’ll need to snap the pieces apart before inserting them into your connectors. Two versions are available: blue and “rainbow”: one each of blue, green, orange, red, and blue/red. Instructions can’t get any simpler, as shown on the back of the package. You insert the PCB into a male connector, then plug in the female connector and enjoy the show.”

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Corsair TwinX1024-4400C25PT @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“Corsair, a leader in the computer memory market, recently released the TwinX1024-4400C25PT, which runs at DDR550 speeds yet can run with a CAS latency of 2.5. At Phoronix we will check out this new memory and see how it can fair against existing modules that have proved themselves worthy over time.”

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Ultra X-Connect 500W ATX Power Supply Review
MODTHEBOX! :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“The Ultra X-Connect 500W ATX Power Supply delivers an incredibly innovative solution in the form of a totally modular design. Some of the clear benefits by separating the power unit from the cables include elimination of cable clutter, enhanced airflow and the ability to only use the necessary cables according to the device configuration. The exterior design of the Ultra X-Connect 500W ATX Power Supply boasts a high level of aesthetics following a black and neon green theme.”

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HEXUS.net Review: MSI’s RX800 XTs
Hexus :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“Overall, it’s hard not to recommend MSI’s boards in the face of those X800 XTs from other vendors. X800 XT and XT PE’s raw power makes it arguably the fastest basic SKU from either of the top two GPU IHVs right now, with MSI’s bundle and online pricing making it the most attractive that I’ve personally seen to date.”

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FIC Condor SFF @ Viper Lair
ViperLair :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“FIC put together a nice little barebone PC, but missed on some important features that enthusiasts have come to expect. While it’s no slouch in gaming, it does not stand out in the performance department which is a shame as the design itself was well thought out. A change in motherboard and PSU selection is certainly in order, and hopefully FIC thinks about this with their next Condor revision.”

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Designtechnica reviews the Toshiba 52HM84 HDTV
Designtechnica :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“In conclusion, Toshiba’s TheaterWideHD 52HM84 combined with the RCA’s DTC-210 DirecTV HD Receiver produced and reproduced the some of the best regular over-the-air HD, Satellite, Satellite HD, and DVD signals possible. This is a set that has to be seen in all its glory to be fully appreciated. In many ways the 52HM84 is superior to its competitors in both design and function. Here is a television with the capability of showing each type of signal in the best possible way. While it’s somewhat pricey, it produces some of the best images on the planet! And, as the old saying goes, “you get what you pay for.”

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JAVOedge JAVOskin for the Dell X30
DataFuse :: Tuesday, November 09, 2004

“Upon receiving the JAVOedge JAVOskin, I was very pleased with the over all appearance. The JAVOskin is translucent with a slight white tint. This, to me, reminds me of the Apple ipod. One major plus to the JAVOskin, is that it accurately mocks my Dell Axim X30s shell. JAVOedge has done this, by cutting out small areas of the JAVOskin, as well as raising some areas. There are 3 large slits on the back of the unit, which I believe, allows some of the heat to vent out of the unit. ”

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Danger Den MAZE4 GPU Water Block Review @ Madshrimps
Madshrimps :: Saturday, November 06, 2004
“Want to overclock your graphics card? Want to replace that noisy stock cooling? We take a closer look at Danger Den´s MAZE4 water block to see if it can tame an ATI X800 Pro video card.”

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3R System R700 Bad Guy Case Review @ PCmoddingmy
PC Modding Malaysia :: Saturday, November 06, 2004

“With its sleek and futuristic design, the R700 came with two 120mm Omega fans and a side 80mm air duct providing perfect air flow inside the case. The iMON device turns the Bad Guy into a HTPC with a click of a button. You don’t even need to go near the Bad Guy to turn him ON! The paint job that the Bad Guy had is also respectable. Installing hardwares inside the Bad Guy was a breeze, thanks to its roomy space. However, you might want to put some attention to the shipper as the top panel tends to break off during shipment. Also, the 120mm fan will potentially suck in dust as no dust filter was provided. It was a great pleasure to work with a Bad Guy who eventually became my Good Pal. Non only the Bad Guy was sleek, it is also suitable for your latest LGA system.”

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Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 5 GPU Cooler Review @ Adrian’s Rojack Pot
Tech ARP :: Saturday, November 06, 2004

“With GPUs producing so much heat, it is inevitable that third-party GPU coolers are becoming more and more popular. However, some GPU coolers sound like jet engines at full blast! Can we still get good cooling without inducing hearing loss?

Today, we take a close look at the new Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 5 GPU cooler for NVIDIA GeForce cards! Let’s see if this GPU cooler actually lives up to its name!”

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DFI LANPARTY UT nF3 250Gb Motherboard Review @ PCmoddingmy
PC Modding Malaysia :: Saturday, November 06, 2004

“Overclockers and enthusiasts should be familiar with the nForce chipsets that changed the way users look at AMD platforms. With the release of two latest nForce chipsets; nForce3 and nForce4, the AMD 64 platform can become a mean machine. In this review, we took a look at DFI’s latest AMD64 Socket 754 motherboard that is fitted with the nForce3 chipset; the DFI LANPARTY UT nF3 250Gb motherboard.”

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Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005 Review @ AMD Review
AMD Review :: Saturday, November 06, 2004

“I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Center 2005 to review. Media Center is Microsoft’s answer to Tivo. It allows you to create your own Digital Video Recorder (DVR). You can do everything that Tivo allows you to do and more. In the following review I will show you some of the advantages of Media Center; along with the disadvantages (there are a few). ”

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NZXT Nemesis Elite @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Saturday, November 06, 2004

“After reviewing the NZXT Guardian, which was stunning, we received word that NZXT would be releasing a new line of cases in the near future. Well, after months of waiting, the case is here! Today we have the honored privilege of presenting to you the Nemesis Elite from NZXT”

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JetAudio iAudio U2 MP3 Player @ TheTechLounge
The Tech Lounge :: Saturday, November 06, 2004

“JetAudio has sent us quite a few of their iAudio line of players to review and they all have been of very high quality both in form and function. But JetAudio doesn’t seem to rest when it comes to their players. Their website is constantly updated with newer firmware, new background animations and logos, and of course, new products.

One such product is their newest player, the iAudio U2, and with such a fine ancestry, I have very high expectations for its performance. With a long list of features including FM radio tuner, voice recorder, and the ability to record from FM radio as well as a separate line-in jack, it definitely has great potential. A built-in rechargeable battery, incredibly small size and amazingly great looks certainly don’t hurt things either. But in the end, it’s the sound quality that ultimately makes or breaks a player, so keep reading and see how this latest iAudio player stacks up.”

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Soltek SL-K8TPro-939 Motherboard Review @ 3DXtreme
3dXtreme :: Friday, November 05, 2004
“The Soltek SL-K8TPro-939 met our expectations and delivered an experience indicative of our past experiences of Solteks’ products. The price to performance ratio of these boards just can not be beat. At the same price point most of the other boards lack SATA Raid, while this may not be used by everyone it is a feature that some may grow into. The stock performance was on par with other VIA K8T800 Pro based Motherboards and the overclocking ability outshined that of the ABIT AV8.”

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Patriot 1Gb Kit PC3200 Low Latency GiveAway @ Madshrimps
Madshrimps :: Friday, November 05, 2004
“Thanks to PC-Memory-Upgrade we are able to give away 1Gb of free memory to one of our readers, all you need to do is answer one simple question and send us the answer, near the end of this month the lucky winner will be drawn from the correct entrees!”

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ABIT Radeon 9600 XT 256MB @ HEXUS
Hexus :: Friday, November 05, 2004
“In summary, ABIT’s done a decent enough job with its 9600 XT card. It’s quiet, efficient, benchmarks well for a midrange card and carries basic VIV0 functionality. Compared to other cards running similar GPUs, and I’m thinking of other 9600 XTs, FX5700 / Ultras, it’s not a bad buy. What condemns it graphics card limbo is the significant increase in performance users can get by spending just a few pounds more. All in all, a good 9600 XT that’s a victim of aggressive R350 pricing.”

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