Tech News November 2005

by NewsNovember 30, 2005June 29, 20140246

Gigabyte K8N51GMF-9 nForce 430/GeForce 6100 Mainboard
Hexus :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005

What you get for £52 is a solid board with very few surprises that’s good for a multitude of uses. Voltage manipulation in BIOS, better subsystem performance, and, perhaps, a sweeter bundle would garner the Gigabyte K8N51GMF-9 an instant recommendation in the budget sector. As it is, it’s decent but not outstanding, although you could do a lot worse than the K8N51GMF-9 if your budget stretches to only £50 or so and you require a S939 motherboard with onboard video and decent storage potential.

Thermaltake Swing @ InsaneTek
InsaneTek :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005

“Want a decent looking case with good features without the expensive price? Thermaltake’s new Swing is a good candidate. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but it way better than a beige box.”

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 Review
Everything USB :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005
“A few months ago I felt something I’ve only heard about in the horror stories of my friends and the net. A sharp pain shot through my wrist, aggravated by the fact my desk was horribly higher than my chair at the time. Unfortunately, my wrist has never fully recovered, inducing pain after typing for a mere 20 minutes. I’ve since bought a wrist rest for my mouse hand, visited a chiropractor, and done stretching exercises every few minutes of using the computer. Shortly afterwards Microsoft leaked out information about their latest in their line of keyboards, the hyped Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. Seeing as how I type for a living, I figured it’d be worth a try. Here are my impressions after two weeks of testing. ”

Editorial: Taking the SLI Plunge @ Virtual-Hideout
Virtual-Hideout :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Quote: ” So again, is SLI for you? Well, if you absolutely have to have the best, then YES. It’s not cheap, but nothing good ever is. It’s certainly brought a new light to my gaming experience.”

PimpRig Review // Ultra Fire Socket 775 CPU Cooler
PimpRig :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005
We have a new review up on the Ultra Products Fire Socket 775 CPU Cooler. The cooler looks ALOT like the stock Intel 775 cooler but don’t let that fool you. Here is a snip from the review: “When looking this heatsink over I noticed a couple of things that the Ultra Fire 775 had in common with the Intel heatsink. The fin design is the same but with different copper cores. The Ultra is a bit taller but the overall radius is the same. Intel’s mounting clips are the push pin and lock type that can have problems if you remove and reuse the pins more than a couple of times. The strong point for the Intel heatsink is the fan, an 80 mm fan that runs virtually silent. Unfortunately this is not good enough to run any serious OC.”

Designer Cases For Your Apple iPod Buying Guide
Designtechnica :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005
‘Now that you’ve picked out an iPod to suit your lifestyle, admit it, you’re enamored with it. Besides that, you want to protect your investment and don’t want to scratch it up or get it all sweaty at the gym. Whether you have a 2G, 3G, or 4G iPod, a mini, nano or shuffle, we’ve forged a path through the jungle of offerings to bring you a few of the cooler cases around, complete with prices, photos and where to purchase.’

An Interview with Jeryuan Yan (XGI Technology)
Phoronix :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Summary: “Earlier today, we had spoken with Jeryuan Yan who is the Business Development (BD) manager of XGI Technology. In this interview, we primarily focused on XGI’s Linux advances since the last time we spoke several months ago, but we also received some exclusive information in regards to their November 9 hardware product launch in Beijing and the stance of XGI Technology on Multi-GPU Technology similar to NVIDIA Scalable Link Interface and ATI CrossFire. In addition, we received some vital information into some expected driver launches that will finally support the Linux 2.6 kernel and several other software advancements.”

Seasonic Power Angel @ ThinkComputers.org
Think Computers :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Quote: “Were you ever curious about just how much power your computer consumes? Did you ever want to know just how efficient that Active PFC power supply is? Well Seasonic has an indispensable device called the Power Angel. It can be used for any device that consumes electricity, not just computers. The Power Angel can help you determine just which electrical devices in your home or workplace are draining to much electricity and draining your wallet at the same time. In this day, when utility prices are only getting higher, the Power Angel is a great way to figure out how to cut your energy use and cost. It is also a great way to test devices for their efficiency.”

Razer Copperhead @ Techgage
Techgage :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Quote: Looking for the *next* killer gaming mouse? It seems that every few months, one will come along and blow us away. Now we are seeing gaming mice that finally have a freakin’ LASER! Today we are taking a look at the new Razer Copperhead, which not only looks awesome, but performs exceptionally.

ULTRA Mini Portable Disk @ Bjorn3D
Bjorn3D :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Sure flash drives are very handy for moving files around when a floppy disk is too small and a CD-R is overkill, but what about those files or groups of files that take up more room than even a DVD-R can store? Many users have the need for this type of file movement, and external hard drives are just the solution for this dilemma. ULTRA has just what the doctor ordered, so read below to see what kind of prescription they provided me with.

MSI P4N Diamond @ Viperlair
ViperLair :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005
“While the board did not sit on top of every benchmark, it has the potential to be one of the fastest gaming platforms for Intel. Benchmarks don’t tell the whole story though, as the P4N Diamond proved to be a reliable board throughout testing and is stacked with enough features that it should be able to survive in most people’s PC for a long while.”

Mindware Studios Cold War @ Phoronix Direct
Phoronix :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Summary: “Originally anticipated to be released nearly a month ago, Mindware Studios has finally released a Linux demo of its Cold War game. Playing this game, it follows the path of a freelance journalist (Matthew Carter) who is engulfed in a international conspiracy against the U.S.S.R. and he must escape before being sent to a Serbian prison camp. Although the story line is fascinating, the Linux demo is a bit short only including two levels – “Thanks, Mr. Geiger” and “The Halls of Hell”. The Microsoft Windows build had shipped to retailers last month but there still is no word on when a full Linux client will be available. For reference, Dreamcatcher Games isn’t distributing the Linux client of the game and Mindware Studios themselves are making available the Linux version.”

Enermax Liberty 500W Modular Power Supply
Big Bruin :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Quote: The new Liberty series of power supplies incorporates many traditional features of Enermax units with the latest trend, modular cabling. Modular power supplies first became popular in 2004, and although Enermax can’t claim to be a pioneer in the field, you can count on their effort being worth consideration, even if the market is a bit more crowded at this point.

Zalman CNPS9500 Led CPU Cooler review”
Madshrimps :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Quote: “When it comes to PC cooling Zalman has a great name. Being one of the first who introduced heatpipes into VGA cooling, it was an immediate hit. But when the competition started using this same technology for CPU heatsinks, Zalman’s own CPU coolers were falling behind. Now, a bit late perhaps, we have Zalman’s first heatpipe based CPU cooler. The Zalman CNPS9500 Led. Let’s see how it does against the best out there; the Scythe Shogun and Thermalright XP-90C are waiting.”

Evercool Magic Cooler MAG01CA Heatsink Review
Frosty Tech :: Tuesday, November 08, 2005
“While the MAG01-CA certainly installs onto all of those processor form factors, it’s been our experience that a heatsink is either best suited for a large heatspreader capped CPU or for pumping heat away from the small surface area of bare silicon… almost never both. The extruded aluminum Evercool MAG01-CA has most recently been marketed towards K8 AMD Athlon64 application, so that is what well be focusing on in this review. But is this heatsink really suitable for socket 754/939 AMD Athlon 64 processors?”

G.SKILL F1-4000USU2-2GBHZ PC4000
techPowerUp! :: Monday, November 07, 2005

Brief: The G.SKILL F1-4000USU2-2GBHZ unite overclocking and 2GB. They almost overclock like the best 1 GB Dual-Channel kits, but offer double the amount of capacity. We reached 275 MHz (DDR550) at low 2.6V. If you want the smoothness of 2 GB and also overclocking, they can be yours for about $245, which is an excellent price.

PimpRig Review // OCZ EL DDR PC-4000 2GB Gold Edition DDR RAM Kit
PimpRig :: Monday, November 07, 2005
We have a new review up on some beefy PC4000 RAM sticks from OCZ. Proof positive that newer games simply love phat sticks. :) Here is a snip from the review: “More recently, the RAM sweet spot using Windows XP has been 1GB using a pair of 512MB DDR RAM sticks. Since the release of Doom 3 and Battlefield 2 though, many users are finding that using 2GB of RAM enhances game play and computer performance. There have been a few problems with going to 2GB though; first off was the availability and price of 1GB DDR sticks, since so many users opted to go with 4 512MB sticks of RAM. Unfortunately, some motherboards do not support DDR with 4 sticks, and others will kick the FSB speed down to 333 to reduce errors. Also, many people have limited success when trying to overclock a motherboard with 4 sticks of RAM in it even if they are matching sticks. Plus, there is the increased voltage requirement. OCZ recognized the issues and released a 2GB DDR memory kit that is rated up to PC-4000, so now you can have your cake and eat it too.”

JVC GZ-MG70U Camcorder
Designtechnica :: Monday, November 07, 2005
‘Hard disk drives are taking over the world! At one time, HDDs were safely ensconced in PCs and laptops. Then they moved to outboard drives, satellite and cable boxes, combination DVD/HDD recorders, iPod digital audio players…the list goes on. Now the engineers at JVC have created a series of Everio ultra-small, super lightweight camcorders with built-in 20GB or 30GB drives that record up to seven hours of MPEG2 video. This is many times the capability of wildly popular DVD camcorders like the Sony DCR-DVD203 that record 20 minutes of best-quality video on single-sided 3-inch 1.4GB disks. And in keeping with the trend of combining digital still cameras and camcorders, the new GZ-MG70U has a 2.12MP CCD so it takes 1600 x 1200 pixel stills. It’s not the 12-megapixel Canon EOS 5D but it can satisfy your need for a photograph or 10,000.’

DFI NF4 SLI Infinity @ InsaneTek
InsaneTek :: Monday, November 07, 2005

Quote: “DFI surprised us all with the NF4 Ultra Infinity. This time they bring us their NF4 SLI Infinity, another budget motherboard for the gaming/overclocking enthusiasts. It might not “look” much, but it does pack a lot of power.”

Beginners Guides: Forgotten Passwords & Recovery Methods @ PCSTATS
PCStats :: Monday, November 07, 2005
“Ever wondered how to recover or reset a forgotten password in WindowsXP? This guide will help you get back into your computer, all without reinstalling the operating system. Fortunately, for every method of password protecting a computer system, there is a method of defeating said protection, especially if you have physical access to the computer. Since it’s your PC, that shouldn’t be a problem, so cheer up.”

Neoseeker Tt Tai-Chi and Corsair XMS4000 Reviews
Neoseeker :: Monday, November 07, 2005
“I used MemTest to check for stability at various timing settings; then tried the benchmarks (Sandra, RightMark, WinRAR and Doom3) to confirm stability. 285MHz was not totally stable, but it was probably due to the processor not wanting to run at 3.025GHz – after all, it was only rated for 2.2GHz!”

We also have a review of Thermaltake’s monstrous Tai-Chi case. If you don’t know already this is the massive case which features fins all along the exterior. It sort of has to be seen to be believed.

check out the memory
check out the Tai-Chi

How To Secure Your Emails @ The TechZone
The Tech Zone :: Monday, November 07, 2005
Well, no one wants to read your email right? Wrong! Have you ever heard of Carnivore? That’s a system that the FBI uses to harvest all email traffic going through a network. How does this affect you? When the FBI hooks Carnivore up to your ISP’s network because they suspect someone of dealing drugs or some other crime, Carnivore will filter through ALL email looking for keywords that relate to the crime in question. And because the search has to be intentionally vague, you may be sending a request for information about a prescription drug you take and Carnivore will harvest your email to be read by a human agent. Suddenly, the drugs you’re taking are now public knowledge. Spammers have also been known to harvest email addresses via captured emails.

Title: Editorial: The More Things Change….@ Virtual-Hideout
Virtual-Hideout :: Monday, November 07, 2005
Quote: “Just ask yourself, please, manufacturers: “Would a mainstream OEM be embarrassed to ship out your case with a front panel carved into a three-dimensional relief of Goku’s head?”

Beginners Guides: Cloning WindowsXP @ PCSTATS
PCStats :: Monday, November 07, 2005
“If you upgrade your operating system hard disk, chances are the new one will be both faster and larger than your original disk. Since you can have multiple drives in your system, it makes sense to keep WindowsXP on the fastest drive, since its speed will make the most difference in that configuration. Trouble is, WindowsXP can’t just be copied over from your old drive to the new one. There are essential files which will not be created on the new disk if you try this. So what to do? Follow along as we walk you through an easy process to simplify your life, so you can get back to work.”

PC Mech pokes and prods ID3-TagIT 3
PC Mechanic :: Monday, November 07, 2005
in this week’s Freeware Frenzy series. This little application is handy for managing your MP3 library by allowing you to edit the MP3’s tag information.

SilverStone Sugo SG01 Review @ PC Modding Malaysia
PC Modding Malaysia :: Monday, November 07, 2005

“Overall the Sugo case is a very versatile case. If you are planning to go down the SFF road, we strongly suggest checking out this case because you don’t need spend anything more than purchasing a single Sugo case. If you already have a micro ATX motherboard, a standard sized ATX PSU and other hardwares in your ATX case, you are all set to build your very own SFF system. However, enthusiasts might want to look else where simply because micro ATX motherboard lacks the overclocking options that we tweakers seek for. Ultimately, we can still build a very powerful SFF system provided if we purchased the latest micro ATX motherboard supporting AMD64 socket 939 processors and perhaps a nForce 4 based motherboard.”

Cooljag SFO-D(18SC) Skived Copper Opteron Heatsink
Frosty Tech :: Monday, November 07, 2005
“The Cooljag SFO-D(18SC) is a heavy one piece skived copper heatsink intended for use with AMD Athlon64 and Opteron processors. Its thick copper base and tall 58mm tall fins add up to 732 grams worth of heatsink, a weight that requires a special set of mounting hardware which is included with the heatsink. A high speed 6800RPM Delta fan is set on its side so that air is blown tangentially to the fins, moving about 38CFM air in the process. The Cooljag SFO-D(18SC) pays no attention towards doing all of this quietly, and according to measurements made in the FrostyTech sound isolating chamber it makes a 64dBA racket in the process.”

ECS KN1 SLI Extreme @ Viperlair
ViperLair :: Monday, November 07, 2005
“Overclocking with the ECS board and our Athlon64 3200+ (Venice core) yielded a result of an impressive 2.65GHz. We got here by dropping the HT to 4x, moving the DRAM timings to 3-4-4-8. We left the CPU at 10x and increased it’s Vcore by 125mv (resulting in a Vcore of 1.52). This is an impressive overclock to say the least. I was thinking that without the ability to apply more voltage to the chipset or FSB (HT) ECS would be hard pressed to catch up with the DFI’s overclock. It turns out, we passed it nicely.”

Dynatron A22 V-Shaped Skived Athlon64 Heatsink Review @ FrostyTech.com
Frosty Tech :: Monday, November 07, 2005
“Skiving is a relatively new metal working technique, and it is very similar to the act of hand planning a block of wood except that ‘shavings’ are shorter and remain attached. The benefit of a skived heatsink has always been the lack of a thermal joint between the fins and base, since each is formed from the same raw material. FrostyTech has tested out one of the latest socket 754/939/940 AMD Athlon64 heatsinks called the Dynatron A22. The heatsink at first appears to be nothing more than a plain aluminum skived heatsink, but closer examination reveals a couple very effective innovations, not the least of which are the V-shaped fins.”

Vantec LapCool 3 (LPC-401) @ Phoronix
Phoronix :: Monday, November 07, 2005

Summary: “Do you own a laptop? Do you have a hard time keeping it on your lap because it’s too hot? Well we sometimes do. Most of our reviews here are geared toward enthusiasts and overclockers, however, desktops are not the only things that need after-market cooling these days. For our mobile readers out there, today we have Vantec’s LapCool 3 laptop cooling pad.”

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