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News Search Results for: lan Lancool PC-K65 Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-01-12] (0 Comments) The Lancool PC-K65 is a mid-tower model with an aluminum front panel, steel body, eight expansion slots, and a nice price tag. Let’s see if it is worthwhile buying this case. Antec Eleven Hundred Case @ rbmods.com [May-01-12] (0 Comments) Today it’s time to take a look at at gaming case from Antec. The eleven hundred landed on our doorstep a few weeks back and today we are going to check it out. ZOTAC A75-ITX WiFi A-E @ techpowerup.com [Apr-27-12] (0 Comments) ZOT AC is at it again, making tiny little high-quality HTPC products, this t ime in AMD flavor. Featuring WiFi, Bluetooth, dual LAN, and XMP support on AMD, the ZOTAC A75-ITX WiFi is made to meet HTPC users needs. Cooler Master HAF XM @ techpowerup.com [Apr-24-12] (0 Comments) Co oler Master aims to shrink the HAF X, offering a mid-tower sized variant by the name of HAF XM. Still featuring that rugged, wide and military l ook, we take the chassis apart to see if it still manages to offer the g uts of a war machine, just like the original, or if its looks hide nothi ng but a bland interior. ASRock Fatal1ty x79 Professional Intel 2011 Motherboard @ techwarelabs.com [Apr-04-12] (0 Comments) With the release of Intels X79 chipset and new 2011 socket it was o nly a matter of time before we saw Motherboards aimed at the gamer.X79 brin gs Quad Channel memory architecture and PCI 3.0 supporting the RAM and Vide o Cards respectively. Finally we get to take a look at the infamous ASRock Fatal1ty Professional Motherboard with the new X79 Chipset. The new X79 chi pset brings PCI3.0 and Quad Channel Ram onto the Intel market. PCI3.0 is ai med squarely at gamers because of its throughput for the latest high end GP Us and this board has 4x of them. Fatal1ty has always been aimed at the pow er-user and gamer and they have (seemingly) not disappointed at first glanc e.All of thisleaves us excited to get our hands on the board. ASRock has gi ven us this boiled down spec sheet which leaveus drooling... Amd A8-3870 FM1 CPU @ rbmods.com [Mar-21-12] (0 Comments) Low power usage, Radeon HD6550 and a price at 140$? What am I talking about? Well the AMD Llano A8-3870 cpu that we are going to review today, we are going to compare this what looks like a very competent cpu towards the Bulldozer. AMD Radeon 7870 2GB Graphics Card @ eteknix.com [Mar-20-12] (0 Comments) Rounding off the 7000 series line-up, can the 7870 offer a fairbalance between price and power? Installing Windows 8 Consumer P In A VirtualBox Virtual Machine @ pcper.com [Mar-03-12] (0 Comments) The new virtual machine is all ready to use and powered byWindows 8. Depending on your hardware and how much memory andprocessing power you were able to allocate, the experience may normany not be the smoothest. Nevertheless, it should give you a goodidea of what the OS looks like and how it operates. Then, using thatinformation, if you think the new beta operating system is for you,you can start planning a bare metal install on some physicalhardware. Steelseries Sensei Fnatic Gaming mouse @ rbmods.com [Feb-28-12] (0 Comments) Todays review will be about a gaming mouse from Steelseries named “Sensei”, this version of the Sensei has been put together with the gaming clan Fnatic so it should have some cool features. We are going to compare it vs the Steelseries Xai and also vs a couple of Razer mice we have reviewed lately. Noontec A9 Smart TV Box @ eteknix.com [Feb-22-12] (0 Comments) With a market flooded by affordable media players incapable ofplaying HD, we check out the Noontec A9 Smart TV Box to see if it cando any better. Megacon 2012 Orlando Event Coverage @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-20-12] (0 Comments) Its that time of year again and Techwarelabs was on site to get you inside shots and coverage of Megacon 2012. Wall to wall cosplay kids, teen s, and adults lined the halls of the Orlando convention center as vendors a nd celebrities awaited eagerly. This year saw an expansion of the event int o a second hall and even more vendors, artists, and celebrities. Everything you could want in sci-fi, cosplay, D&D, comic book, and collectibles you c an find here. Arctic Land Rider 309, 307 and Transmitter T-01 @ rbmods.com [Feb-19-12] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at something a bit different here at Rbmods. We have two RC cars from Arctic for review; the Land Rider 307 and 309 made it here and today we are going to share our results with you guys on how they work. AZZA Fusion 3000 Full-Tower Chassis @ tweaktown.com [Feb-16-12] (0 Comments) On the outside our latest submission has a large and chunky presence. It starts with the large feet and is taken up the front and onto the top giving you a chassis reminiscent of something along the lines of the CM HAF cases, yet different enough to set this AZZA chassis apart if they were next to each other. On the inside things are taken to a whole new level in any gaming chassis I have seen. I have done a few server chassis reviews and even there I have not seen the amount of back planes for hard drive bays. I mean seriously, between the 2.5 AMD Processor and GPU Roadmaps Through 2013 @ pcper.com [Feb-03-12] (0 Comments) The next slide shows the upcoming new products in 2013. SeaIslands will be the codename for the next generation graphics productsfrom AMD. It looks as if it could be a significant change from thecurrent Southern Islands. AMD appears to be doing this to moreadequately integrate graphics into the computing fabric provided bymodern CPUs. HSA replaces Fusion, and the intent is to have GPU andCPU work far more closely than what we see today. Tt eSPORTS Battle Dragon Bag @ rwlabs.com [Feb-02-12] (0 Comments) Spacious interior for up to a full 24inch LCD screen, 5different compartments, 3 different carrying ways and a very good buildquality which allows you to carry up to 41kg of things are some of thereasons for which people who attend LAN events or people who just want alarge carrying bag for their notebooks should really take a closer look atthe latest Battle Dragon Bag by Tt eSports. ASUS RT-N56U Dual-Band Wireless-N600 Gigabit Router @ bigbruin.com [Feb-01-12] (0 Comments) * For those that have the need for highly reliable, high speed LANconnections, as well as high speed WAN connections, the ASUS RT-N56U isyour kind of router. The wired LAN connections are all capable of Gigabitspeed transfers, while the wireless capabilities are equally impressive,featuring dual-band 5GHz and 2.4GHz speeds that can allow for up to 300Mbpsconcurrently. Edimax WD-1000TR Wireless WHDI Caster @ eteknix.com [Jan-30-12] (0 Comments) With cables being a major problem in any set-up, Edimaxbelieve they have the perfect solution; the WHDI Caster, but is it agimmick or does it really work? Thermaltake Tt eSport Battle Dragon LAN Bag @ eteknix.com [Jan-25-12] (0 Comments) Go to regular LAN gaming events? Then the Tt eSports BattleDragon LAN Bag could be exactly what you need. CES 2012 Booth Babes Day 3 @ techwarelabs.com [Jan-14-12] (0 Comments) We plan to get your day warmed up with our day 3 booth babes galler y direct from the parties and show floor of CES 2012. Sit back and enjoy th e hot babes captured just for you. [Affiliates News] LanCool PC-K9 Computer Case @ aphnetworks.com [Dec-30-11] (0 Comments) When it comes to manufacturing computer cases, every manufacturer has its strengths. Thermaltake and Cooler Master have been known to produce excellent PC and gaming enthusiast cases that provide superb cooling with great value. SilverStone has been known to produce cases focusing on design inspiration and quality. Lian Li is a manufacturer that designs fully aluminum cases with some of, if not the best, quality for enthusiasts and professional workstations alike. However, what we see all the more common nowadays, is several of these manufacturers have created sub-brands or subsidiaries that focuses on different goals. Thermaltake created the sub-brand Tt eSPORTS that focuses on fully featured and fully equipped gaming gear for eSports use. Cooler Master created CM Storm back in 2009 that zooms in on Weekly Giveaway #18:Tt eSPORTS Fantastic Five @ eteknix.com [Dec-09-11] (0 Comments) As we draw close to another competition, which gives you achance to win a Club3D GeForce GTX 560Ti Green Edition Graphics Card 2011 Holiday Buying Guide @ hardwaresecrets.com [Nov-23-11] (0 Comments) Are you planning to buy new PC hardware parts during this holiday season to build a new computer or upgrade your current system? Let’s recap some of the products with the best cost/benefit ratios that we reviewed in 2011. Deleted File Recovery:Disaster Planning and Avoidance @ techwarelabs.com [Nov-21-11] (0 Comments) If data loss is not on your radar right now it should be. We show y ou why data loss is 100% avoidable and what free and low cost options you h ave to ensure the safety of your critical files. TechwareLabs covers everyt hing from online options to physical hardware to backup and protect your da ta. Kingston HyperX 240GB SATA 6Gbit/s SSD @ techgage.com [Sep-19-11] (0 Comments) Kingston may of been fashionably late to the SandForceparty, but its explanation for wanting to avoid the issues that have(and still) plague other manufacturers is sound. Its first SandForceofferings appropriately fall under the HyperX branding, and offer speedsto take full advantage of the new SATA 6Gb/s bus. Wesena E5 Ultra Low Profile HTPC Chassis @ missingremote.com [Sep-13-11] (0 Comments) * When selecting the perfect chassis for your home theater PC(HTPC) it can be difficult to strike the right balance between looks andcapability. With multiple tuners increasingly becoming available in smallerand varied packages at more competitive prices, the form factor revolutionin the client HTPC space made possible by no-compromise integrated processorgraphics (IPG) systems is now a tangible reality for the primary HTPC aswell. Wesena has aggressively pushed into this space with chassis like theMicro-ATX/Mini-ITX compatible all-aluminum E5, which with its CE visageoffers a near perfect look for the A/V stack. There is some compromisebecause of the ultra-low-profile form factor but with two hard drive mounts,space for a slim optical drive and enough expansion to provide a viableenclosure for your main HTPC, it warrants a detailed look.*ARTICLE URL*:http://www.missingremote.com/review/wesena-e5-ultra-low-profile-htpc-chassis Bulldozer First Release and the State of 32nm AMD Parts @ pcper.com [Sep-09-11] (0 Comments) While Cray was the first to get hands on product, we do notexpect general availability in the server realm until December of thisyear. Yields for this architecture *should* bet better than what weare currently seeing for Llano, as these parts do not feature the verydifferent GPU portion that has proven to be troublesome for thisparticular process. But Bulldozer is still a brand new architecturebeing produced on a brand new process. Do not expect miracles withyields, but as with any other product pushed to production, we willsee improvement over time. Now we just have to see if AMD can reclaimsome of their mojo and be able to claw back some of their lostmarketshare. To:MIME-Version:Content-Type; @ techpowerup.com [Sep-02-11] (0 Comments) AMD 's new Llano APU lineup gets a stylish new addition with the Biostar TA 75A+. Sporting an fancy color scheme, and a low price, the Biostar TA75A + seeks to bring some enthusiast features to the entry-level market. NZXT Source 210 Elite Computer Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Aug-19-11] (0 Comments) When buying a case enthusiasts must balance between cost, aesthetics, and build quality. Normally you can only have two of these three Message-ID:MIME-Version:Content-Type:X-Mailer:Thread-Index:Content-Language:x-cr-hashedpuzzle:x-cr-puzzleid:X-Source:X-Source-Args:X-Source-Dir; @ X-Source-Args:X-Source-Dir; [Aug-18-11] (0 Comments) The original Level 10 went down well worldwide (and my editoractually used one in his recent M-Power mod - click here for moreinfo), so the Level 10 GT should hopefully be even better! The onlycomplaint that most users had of the original Level 10, was the lack ofspace - the GT is here to address that. Huntkey Jumper 300G Planet3dnow.de Edition Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Aug-17-11] (0 Comments) The Jumper 300G “Planet3dnow.de Edition” is a modified version of the Huntkey Jumper 300G power supply suggested by this hardware-reviewing German website, and it is the first high-end, low-wattage power supply to arrive on the market. WASP Drone Plane Sniffs WiFi and Intercept Phone Calls @ techtribune.com [Aug-06-11] (0 Comments) The WASP or AMD A6-3650 APU/Processor @ techwarelabs.com [Aug-04-11] (0 Comments) As you might know, AMD has managed to remain the leader in graphic chipsets, but Intel still holds both the mobile and hybrid computing market s. This is where the Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) comes in to play for it is a combination of CPU and GPU all rolled into one. It is AMDs respons e to Intels SandyBridge and referred to as Llano. The AMD A6-3650 is the bu dget-friendly little brother to the AMD A8-3850 we did a review on last mon th. Tt eSports Dasher Gaming Mouse Pad @ eteknix.com [Jul-28-11] (0 Comments) While we like to take a look at a lot of hardware at eTeknix, some other accessories can make a large difference to your overall gaming experience, or even to your general computer experience. Today is the turn for a mousepad by the gaming brand of Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS. Scan 2-Port HPU-300 NC SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCI Express Card @ eteknix.com [Jul-07-11] (0 Comments) When USB3.0 was introduced to the market a couple of years back, there were very few products on the market that could make use of the high-speed interface. It was also very expensive to add USB3.0 functionality to your system with expansion cards costing in excess of £50 and peripherals being even more expensive. Video Perspective:AMD A-series APU Overclocking and Gaming @ pcper.com [Jul-07-11] (0 Comments) We tested 3DMark11, Bad Company 2, Lost Planet 2, Left 4 Dead2 and Dirt 3 to give us a quick overall view of performance increases. We ran the games at 1680x1050 resolutions and TechwareLabs :AMD Llano A8-3850 APU @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-30-11] (0 Comments) Today AMD releases the much anticipated Llano which brings about the age of the APU. With both a CPU and GPU on the same die AMD is taking aim squarely at SandyBridge and raises the stakes with much higher graphical power. We test the A8-3850 on the latest Asus F1A75-Pro board and show you some hidden surprises. Streacom HDMI Audio Mix Cable @ eteknix.com [Jun-30-11] (0 Comments) Streacom are a company who were founded in 2010 with their goal being focusing on combining superior design and quality with the latest material and production techniques. They aim to deliver solutions that will precisely meet customer requirements regarding features, performance and quality. They offer a variety of products which all have their individual ways of solving problems that have previously arisen. AMD A8-3850 Llano Desktop Processor - Can AMD compete with @ pcper.com [Jun-30-11] (0 Comments) If we were 2-3 years in the future, when many moreapplications were written to fully utilize the capabilities of SIMDarrays like the one found on the Llano APU, the A8-3850 would be aneasy recommendation over the Core i3-2100. We are sorry to reportthough that it is still 2011 and the number of GPU-acceleratedapplications is still limited though not due to the push of NVIDIA andAMD. With the exceptions of some video processing apps and gaming,the GPU in the Llano will be under-utilized I fear and even in some ofthe areas AMD claims victories in (video playback, transcoding, etc),Intel is doing nearly as well or Asus F1A75-M Pro Llano Motherboard P @ eteknix.com [Jun-27-11] (0 Comments) Llano is the new toy at the moment with lots of speculation flying around about the performance and potential from these new processors and their FM1 socket motherboards so we thought it would be fitting to give you a sneak peak into what is on offer from Asus and their FM1 board; the F1A75-M Pro. Antec Veris Multimedia Station Premier @ eteknix.com [Jun-26-11] (0 Comments) Antec Inc was founded 25 years ago. They aimed their high-performance computer components and accessories products at the gaming, PC upgrade and DIY markets. Over the last 25 years Antec has built up a very good reputation and are now best known for their PC cases and power supplies. As they have moved into the HTPC case market it makes sense to expand on that segment to release other products which might give them an advantage in the market over their competitors. OCZ Technology Agility 3 SandForce 240GB SATA 6G SSD @ pcper.com [May-31-11] (0 Comments) While the switch to asynchronous flash memory makes theAgility 3 cheaper to produce and therefore sell, the performancedynamic can shift in either direction, varying with what you plan todo with the drive. Many users saw the same type of thing back with theAgility 2 / Vertex 2, and some users actually preferred the cheaperdrive performance wise. We may see the same thing here once users (andus) get some actual seat-of-the-pants time logged with it. Assassins of Kings @ techgage.com [May-25-11] (0 Comments) A war is brewing. Monarchs, Lords and Nobility squabble awayover fractured lands, the Mages fight amongst themselves, deception runsrife, corrupt officials, over-taxation and a world full of monsters tocast asunder - Geralt of Rivia is back, in The Witcher 2:Assassins ofKings. Plantronics M100 Bluetooth Headset @ eteknix.com [May-06-11] (0 Comments) Today we are breaking out of the norm and taking a look at something a little bit different and away from our usual bag of computer hardware and peripherals. Today brings us a day of taking a close look at a bluetooth headset from Plantronics with some unique features. TechwareLabs :AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition CPU-Processor @ techwarelabs.com [May-03-11] (0 Comments) Today AMD releases the Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition into the market place. This speed bump before the launch of Llano reaches greater than 4GHz on air and achieves excellent performance. We take a look at what could be one of the last Deneb powered AM3 cores to hit the market from AMD. AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition :Last of the Breed @ pcper.com [May-03-11] (0 Comments) In the end, this is a simple 100 MHz increase in clockspeedfor AMD for their high end quad core processor. It is not all thatmuch faster than the previous X4 975, but at least it does not consumeall that much more power than the previous model. It is a goodall-around performer, and would make a solid foundation for aproductivity and gaming machine for most users. Invariably though,most eyes are drawn to the horizon and the promise of Llano andBulldozer. Hopefully for AMD these next generation processors willallow them to more adequately compete with Intel when it comes to rawperformance. AT&T Broadband Subscribers Wake Up Today with Data @ techgage.com [May-03-11] (0 Comments) Beginning today, AT&T will be implementing a monthly datacap plan for its DSL and U-verse customers. AT&T DSL customers will havea 150GB per month limit, while U-verse customers receive a slightlyroomier 250GB monthly cap. Subscribers that exceed these limits will becharged $10 per each additional 50GB over the limit. Lancool PC-K57 Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-27-11] (0 Comments) The Lancool PC-K57 is a top-notch mid-tower case that comes with a very good price tag. Let’s see if it lives up to our expectation. Gabriel Torres on Computer America Radio Show @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-27-11] (0 Comments) Folks, I will be interviewed at the Computer America radio show tomorrow, 04/27/2011, from 7 to 9 PM Pacific Time (10 PM to midnight, Eastern Time). Check their website to an affiliated radio in your city, or listen live on the Internet. I will be taking calls from listeners and I plan to talk about power supplies and other computer hardware components. Plantronics Gamecom 777 Gaming Headset @ eteknix.com [Apr-21-11] (0 Comments) There is nothing quite like playing music loud on some nice powerful speakers with a thumping bass. Some days however you might just want to give your neighbours a break. Headphones have been around for a long time and for most of this time were nothing special. As things advanced communications via the computer became more common and as such people needed microphones. Soon afterwards we saw headsets which perform better than using speakers and a boom microphone sat on the desk – for hopefully obvious reasons. With a decent headset your friend on Skype will be able to hear every word however loud the music that you are playing into the headset is. AMD Ships Llano and Upcoming AM3+ Support @ pcper.com [Apr-05-11] (0 Comments) These are certainly exciting times for AMD. The HD 6000series of graphics chips are doing well in the market. They are nowtruly competitive at the high end again. Their CPUs have been holdingtheir own, especially due to the help that Intel gave them with theSandy Bridge issue. They are about to release what looks to be a verypower CPU architecture in Bulldozer, and they will be rewriting thebooks when it comes to integrated graphics performance andcapabilities. Certainly AMD will not overtake Intel, but we asconsumers do need a strong and competitive AMD for the sake of our ownwallets. AMD Responds to the Sandy Bridge Bug:Marketing ramps up... but new @ pcper.com [Feb-19-11] (0 Comments) The biggest potential win for AMD would have been a successfulAM3+ motherboard launch, but they still were not able to move up thatparticular product. If AMD had been able to come out swinging withthis new socket, and new motherboards designed around it, we couldvery well have seen a much more significant boost to AMD. While thereare no Bulldozer nor Llano based chips available, AM3+ boards dosupport current AM3 processors. Releasing the high end 990FX andbudget 970 boards, neither of which utilize the integrated graphics ofLlano, and populating them with current Phenom II and Athlon II CPUscould have provided a nice impetus to AMD and given the company amarketplace more prepared for the new CPUs to arrive later thisSpring. Corsair SP2500 2.1 Speaker - Corsair enters another market @ pcper.com [Feb-10-11] (0 Comments) This is something of a niche system. Most users will balk atpaying $250 for a set of 2.1 speakers. Then again, there are thosewho do take audio much more seriously than others. While $250 is alot of money, I feel that Corsair delivers a product worth every cent. I have been following computer audio since the days of those tiny,tinny 2.0 speakers that were battery powered. The jump to the AltecLansing ACS-31s was massive from those terrible speakers. Now as weenter 2011, I can honestly say that these are the most accurate, wellrounded, and best engineered desktop speakers that I have yet heard. SteelSeries StarCraft II Mouse Mat Limited Edition Marine Version @ eteknix.com [Feb-07-11] (0 Comments) A mouse mat is just a mouse mat after all. It is just a companion for a mouse. All I can say is if you are going to buy a companion for a mouse then this is certainly the one to buy. It is smooth, sleek and frankly stunning. In ways I feel it should be hung up more like a painting, than used. It is certainly something to be admired even though it performed well in all tests. If i had to pick one fault with it, it is that it is slightly flimsy, so when you go to move it around it slithers all over the place. However, this is not really a fault, as if it was slightly thicker it would probably tarnish the performance of the mat slightly. alugraphics gamerPRO Aluminium Mousepad @ eteknix.com [Jan-31-11] (0 Comments) When purchasing a mousepad, you will be faced with plenty of challenges as they come in various different styles such as square, curved or rounded and once you’ve made that decision, do you want a small, medium or large sized one? It doesn’t stop there, as you will then have to decide what material you want out of plastic, fabric or metal. Intel Core i7-2600K and Core i5-2500K (Sandy Bridge) CPUs @ tweaktown.com [Jan-03-11] (0 Comments) Back in the days of the Conroe CPUs, I compared Intel to a charging rhino. They are a big company that has a lot of weight and momentum behind them. Often there are times it can be hard for them to change direction, but once they are on a course they can build up quite the momentum. If you have ever seen a rhino charge and hit something squarely (even on TV), you will also know they can have quite an impact. Ever since the launch of Conroe Intel has been building up momentum behind their CPU designs and just like that rhino they have hit the market with quite an impact. On the heels of Conroe came Nehalem, then Lynnfield, then Clarkdale, and now we have a new name to drop on the market.Sandy Bridge brings a few new things to the table along with a new socket and chipset. Some may be annoyed at the need for a completely new motherboard to support the new chip (AMD will especially like to point this out), but others will see it as a continued evolution in the process. No matter where you sit on this one, you will be looking at a new P67 or H67 if you plan to pick up a Sandy Bridge CPU. What to Expect from Desktop Graphics in 2011 @ pcper.com [Dec-29-10] (0 Comments) 2011 may not be nearly as exciting for users as this past 1.5years has been, but it will likely have a few surprises from not justAMD and NVIDIA, but also Intel and their latest integrated graphics inthe upcoming Sandy Bridge series of parts. From all indications, itwill shake up the integrated stronghold that AMD has kept with the880G/890GX parts. We also will see the first Fusion parts from AMDgain a foothold in the market, and hopefully a much more robustdesktop CPU/GPU combination with Llano in a timely manner. TechwareLabs :Thermaltake Lanbox-Lite Computer Case/Chassis @ TechwareLabs News [Dec-29-10] (0 Comments) If you are looking for a great chassis to house your next computer build that wont cost you a fortune and will still be easy to carry to those LAN events then check out our review of the Thernaltake Lanbox Lite. A Chassis sure to please the DIY and Enthusiast in you. Antec Lanboy Air Open-Frame Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Dec-20-10] (0 Comments) The Lanboy Air case is the most recent in a long line of enclosures from Antec. Cases from Antec generally score high points among TechwareLabs :Epson EX7200 Projector @ TechwareLabs News [Dec-10-10] (0 Comments) More than a projector and much less than a bank breaker would define the Epson EX7200 projector. Upon first glance the EX7200 appears very much the typical office/small business projector, but a closer inspection reveals its hidden potential. In reality the EX7200 is a small multimedia powerhouse that works as well for your theater room as it does for your conference room. With a retail price of approximately $649 lets see what this budget projector can accomplish. Nvidia GTS-450 Graphics Card @ missingremote.com [Nov-16-10] (0 Comments) Offering 3D Blu-ray (BD) via native HDMI 1.4 and HD audio bitstream support, the recently release NVIDIA GTS 450 represents a drasticshift in the market for discrete home theater PC (HTPC) graphics processingunits (GPU). With NVIDIA now providing a feature set unmatched by any vendorwe finally have serious competition for discrete space in the home theater.Read on to see if the NVIDIA GTS 450 offers the right balance of power andfunctionality for your HTPC. 2 Weeks Left Of The Sapphire Radeon HD 5830 (Game Edition) Graphics Card giveaway @ eteknix.com [Nov-08-10] (0 Comments) We tend to run competitions as frequent as we possibly can and in return we hope to be able to get the eTeknix community more active once again. MD Radeon HD 6870 1GB Graphics Card Video @ eteknix.com [Nov-01-10] (0 Comments) Today we are looking at the AMD Radeon HD 6870 1GB Graphics Card. This is one of the latest graphics cards from AMD is is aimed at the mid to high range market. It was launched to take over from the successful HD 5770 and gives a slight performance boost as well as featuring improved AMD Eyefinity with support upto 6 monitors, an improved renamed version of ATI Stream Technology to balance your CPU/GPU power and also 2nd generation DirectX11 for support with the latest games whilst giving show-stopping quality graphics. AMD Talks Llano & Radeon HD 6800 @ techgage.com [Oct-20-10] (0 Comments) AMD invited both media and vendors down to Los Angeles last week to learn Roccat Taito Gaming Mousepad Unboxing Video @ eteknix.com [Oct-17-10] (0 Comments) Today we are unboxing the Roccat Taito Gaming Mousepad. Check out http://www.eteknix.com shortly for the full review on this product. Antec LanBoy Air Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Sep-29-10] (0 Comments) Antec released today this unique case, which is completely meshed to improve airflow. Let’s see if its uniqueness translates into a must-have product. Hauppauge WinTV-Nova-TD 500 TV Tuner Card Unboxing Video @ eteknix.com [Sep-16-10] (0 Comments) Today we are unboxing the Hauppauge WinTV-Nova-TD 500 TV Tuner Card.The box is quite simple in white and yellow giving you all of the relevant information that you need, including pictures of the product and the type of connection that it uses. The sides of the box lists the main features of the tv card as well as the system requirements.The back of the box lists more of the features and gives you a look at what the card and remote control look like. Magellan eXplorist GC for GeoCaching @ techwarelabs.com [Sep-13-10] (0 Comments) Magellan has sent TechwareLabs their eXplorist GC to review which is a handheld GPS unit designed around the hobby of GeoCaching. Likely if you are reading this review you already know what geocaching is, but if by chance you don’t here is a link to help explain it (http://www.geocaching.com). Compro VideoMate E900F Dual Tuner PCI-Express TV Card Video @ eteknix.com [Sep-10-10] (0 Comments) Today we are looking at the Compro VideoMate E900F Dual Tuner PCI-Express TV Card. Compro Videomate E900F Dual Tuner TV Card Unboxing Video @ eteknix.com [Aug-26-10] (0 Comments) Today we are unboxing the Compro Videomate E900F Dual Tuner TV Card.The box is very bright and vibrant and is easily noticed from a distance, if this was in a shop, it would definitely grab your eye. The box gives a LOT of information including the features, specifications and minimum system requirements. Inside the AMD Bulldozer Architecture @ hardwaresecrets.com [Aug-25-10] (0 Comments) An in-depth explanation of the forthcoming Bulldozer architecture, which will be used in the AMD processors starting in 2011. Altec Lansing BXR1220 Desktop Speakers Unboxing Video @ eteknix.com [Aug-10-10] (0 Comments) Today we are unboxing the Altec Lansing BXR1220 Desktop Speakers. [News] LapWorks iPad Recliner @ virtual-hideout.net [Jul-03-10] (0 Comments) We all knew that when the Apple iPad was announced, there was goingto be tons of accessories come down the line, just as was the story with theiPod and iPhone. With the iPad being touted as not only a productivity andmultimedia consumption device, but also an e-reader, we could assume thataccessories that prop, slant or otherwise hold your device at a certainangle would be forthcoming. Today I have for you one such device; theLapWorks iPad Recliner ($34.95). This is an adjustable stand capable ofholding your iPad (or other similarly shaped device) at different angles foryour reading pleasure. Ghost Warrior Full HD Screenshots @ ngohq.com [Jun-23-10] (0 Comments) Sniper:Ghost Warrior is a first-person tactical shooterthat places the player in the role of a US Marine sniper tasked withaiding in the liberation of a Latin American island nation from theoppression of a dictator. Gameplay focuses on realistic snipermissions, involving stealth, control of breathing and heartbeat forincreased accuracy, bullet trajectory that takes weather conditionsinto account and four different sniper rifles. Additional featuresinclude a variety of mission types, the ability to play as a member ofan assault team, 12-shooter multiplayer support and close combatweapons and explosives. Huntkey Balance King 5000 500 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-22-10] (0 Comments) Today we are going to test this 500 W power supply from Huntkey. Let’s see if it will survive. IP70 IP Camera @ techwarelabs.com [May-03-10] (0 Comments) Security and surveillance products are usually very expensive or cheap and lacking performance to make them useful. Compro Technology’s latest offering, the IP70 Day & Night internet camera promises to be a high quality solution at an affordable price point. Featuring HD picture quality, a compact size, and multiple viewing options from web browser streaming to the included software suite, what more could you ask from an IP camera? Read our review and see if the IP70 is worth your cash. Mionix Naos 5000 Mouse @ rbmods.com [Mar-24-10] (0 Comments) Not very long ago we looked at a gamer mouse from Mionix named 3200 which ended up being a very nice mouse that we awarded for a well balanced gamer mouse. Today we are taking a look at the Naos 5000 which is the next Plantronics .Audio 476 DSP Foldable Headset @ legitreviews.com [Mar-23-10] (0 Comments) We used the Plantronics .Audio 476 DSP foldable headsetfor several VoIP calls and found the sound quality great to clearly hear those on the other end of the call. Using Google Voice and a free Gizmo5 account, we made several VoIP calls and were impressed by the call quality. When there was background noise, there was a light white noise sound that came through, but the call was crystal clear in a quiet setting. The white noise sound was definitely nothing that interfered with the ability to understand anyone, it was just a little observation made when critically listening at the call quality... Megacon 2010 Coverage @ techwarelabs.com [Mar-15-10] (0 Comments) From costumes and celebrities to models, magic and more the MegaCon 2010 show has it all. We walked down the hall of the Orlando Convention Center and through the doors and might as well have stepped into another galaxy. Our journey through MegaCon lasted a short four hours and we only managed to see a small part of the events and happenings going on. The walls were lined with memorabilia and every gizmo and gadget from your favorite show, comic, and film. Check out our huge gallery of pictures from the event where people dressed as their favorite characters. A Deep Dive Into Thecus NAS Software @ tweaktown.com [Mar-05-10] (0 Comments) Testing NAS servers is a complicated and time consuming task. For the most part modern NAS products are computers in their own right with some using Intel Core2 Duo processors with 4GB of RAM. When writing a NAS review it is easy to focus on the hardware and capabilities, but often the software, applications and setup functionality take a back seat even though these functions are in many cases just as important as the hardware used.To help ease the strain on both the reader and the writer, today we are going to cover the latest firmware / software release from Thecus. In a couple of days we will also publish a similar article covering the QNAP firmware / software since these are the two companies that send us a sample every other month and also have such extensive software. We plan to keep these available as living documents with updates published throughout the coming years. Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H Motherboard - AMD 890GX Chipset @ legitreviews.com [Mar-03-10] (0 Comments) Both the Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H and ASUS M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 AMD 890GX-based motherboards that we looked at here today are both very solid motherboards and increase the level of performance that you can expect from an AMD motherboard. The faster and improved Radeon HD 4290 integrated graphics are more than enough to power your HTPC for Blu-ray playback and can even manage to do some light gaming on lower resolution. By adding in a Radeon HD 5870 graphics card like we did you find a very solid gaming platform that has all the latest features on the market, like SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps. Our testing showed that USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps over significant performance improvements and should be considered for a system that you are building and planning on hanging onto for years to come... Huntkey Balance King 4500 450 W Power Supply @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-27-10] (0 Comments) Today we are going to test this 450 W power supply from Huntkey. Will it be a bad product like other units from this brand we reviewed? ASUS P7P55D-E Pro (P55 Express) Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Feb-24-10] (0 Comments) After spending some time with the H5x series and the Clarkdale, we decided to head back and look at the newly revised “E” version of ASUS’ P7P55D series. These boards have been worked over to include both SATA 3.0 and SuperSpeed USB, all for a relatively low $189.99 over at Newegg. With the P55’s limited PCIe lanes, including these new technologies has required the use of a bridge chip to allow for proper PCIe bandwidth.The P7P55D-E Pro also includes ASUS’ 16-Hybrid Phase (12+2 with T.Probe) which allows for real time balancing of power and heat generation. ASUS rounds out the P7P55D-E Pro with Auto-Tuning, Express Gate OS (a linux based OS for quick use) and Turbo EVO. ASUS P7H55D-M EVO Clarksdale Motherboard @ benchmarkreviews.com [Feb-24-10] (0 Comments) Intel-land is becoming a very confusing place of late. An Intel Core i7 processor might be Socket 1366, or it might be Socket 1156. A ableplanet-PS500MM @ techwarelabs.com [Feb-19-10] (0 Comments) The PS5500MM headset is an on-ear set which is new to this reviewer. In the past I have used in-ear, over-ear headphones which have produced phenomenal bass and true clarity of sound at all volumes. Everything You Need to Know About The Motherboard Voltage Regulator Circuit @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-11-10] (0 Comments) An in-depth explanation on how the motherboard voltage regulator circuit works, including components, phases and design. Updated. Jetway NC63-330-LF Mini-ITX Motherboard Video @ eteknix.com [Feb-09-10] (0 Comments) Today we are looking at the Jetway NC63-330-LF Mini-ITX motherboard.This particular board comes with an Intel Atom 330 dual-core 1.6GHz processor, has 2 DDR2 slots supporting upto 8GB of DDR2 memory modules of speeds upto 800MHz. It uses the Nvidia ION chipsetand has integrated graphics that supports DirectX10. This board also has integrated HD sound and Gigabit Lan.A perfect board for HTPC users. Boogie Bug AimBPad Gaming Surface Video @ eteknix.com [Feb-08-10] (0 Comments) Today we are looking at the Boogie Bug AimB.Pad Gaming Surface. This is a regular sized mousemat that is 275mm x 320mm and is aimed at gamers and users who need precision from their mouse. AZZA Solano 1000R Full-Tower Computer Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Feb-05-10] (0 Comments) AZZA have taken a few steps away from what is considered conventional with the Solano 1000R (model:CSAZ-1000R) and gave it an extreme XFX Radeon HD5850 Black Edition 1GB Graphics Card Video @ eteknix.com [Feb-01-10] (0 Comments) Being a black edition card, it is a limited edition card with XFX claim to be faster than any card in the XFX lineup, or any card on the planet for that matter. Everything You Need to Know About Power Supply Protections @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-19-10] (0 Comments) In this tutorial we are going to present an in-depth explanation on how all the main power supply protections really work. OCZ plan to go back to their roots @ eteknix.com [Jan-14-10] (0 Comments) OCZ are a very well established company when it comes to highly overclockable memory with fantastic performance and stability. So lord only knows what they were thinking when they thought they would try something new. LanCool PC-K56W Mid-Tower Computer Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Dec-31-09] (0 Comments) Computer cases with enough features and cooling to please any gamer are rapidly dropping in price. Manufacturers are noticing the demand ASUS P7P55D Premium Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Dec-28-09] (0 Comments) As was the case with the ASUS P7P55D Deluxe, using the ASUS P7P55D Premium was a great experience. We were able to really push the overclocking envelope of our i5 750 CPU. If you plan to watercool, this would be a great motherboard to get your hands on, as it has the capability of pushing any current 1156 CPU past the limits of air-cooling. Coupling this motherboard with an upcoming Intel i3 CPU should result in some impressive clock speeds! Thermaltake Level 10 Chassis - Can BMW change PC @ pcper.com [Dec-16-09] (0 Comments) Something that might not be obvious from the pictures:the Level 10is LARGE. It is 12.6 inches wide, 24.5 inches deep, 26.3 inches high, andweighs nearly 50 pounds empty! The handles on the top and the basedefinitely come in handy. While I had no trouble transporting the case fromthe office into my photo studio by myself (the case is well balanced,) theadditional handle in the base was nice to have. If two people are used tocarry the case, this extra handle makes it a breeze. Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player @ legitreviews.com [Dec-10-09] (0 Comments) Seagate’s FreeAgent Theater+ is one of the most versatile media players on the market. Based on the Realtek 1073 chipset, the guts of the Theater+ are technically the same as the Patriot Box Office. Doing a side-by-side comparison, however, shows the Seagate to be a tad quicker when navigating around menus and playing files. The operating systems for devices featuring the Realtek processor are notoriously clunky or bland. Not so for the Seagate. The OS is actually quite sleek – almost minimalist. Everything you need is there and is easily accessible. In fact, my 5 year old was able to pick up the remote and navigate successfully to The Clone Wars TV Series Blu-ray-rips that I stored locally on the FreeAgent hard drive... Lan Gear Introduces Da Box 100:Spy Pics and Special Edition @ techwarelabs.com [Dec-01-09] (0 Comments) Although DA BOX footprint is only 166 square inches, this true Small Form Factor case accomodates everything its ATX counterpart does:tall heatsink (up to 190 mm high), long video card (322mm long / 347mm without the optional 92mm intake fan), full ATX PSU,… All that in a beautiful, 2mm thick, black anodized brushed aluminum shell. ASUS G51VX-A1 15.6-inch Gaming Notebook @ tweaktown.com [Nov-02-09] (0 Comments) Back again with a new notebook and this time we are checking out the ASUS G51VX gaming notebook. It is a very nice change of pace to see a full on gaming notebook sitting on my desk rather than another netbook. ASUS is certainly more known for its netbooks than anything else, but the company knows how to build a nice gaming notebook, too.As long as a gaming notebook can be carried to and from the LAN party without giving you a hernia, gamers are usually OK with the size of the machine. You have to make compromises with any gaming notebook; they are expensive, loud and lack power compared to gaming desktops. However, for certain users the gaming notebook is the way to go. If you are that type of user, the ASUS G51VX I am checking our today may be exactly what you need. Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth Headset @ legitreviews.com [Oct-27-09] (0 Comments) People will ask, “Is this headset really better than the Jawbone or BlueAnt?” If you are strictly measuring the overall quality of the headset by the sound volume and ability to dampen or reduce environmental noise, then picking a winner out of this lot is a toss-up. On the other hand, if you are looking for the best sounding, best looking, most comfortable, and longest battery life in the bunch, the Plantronics Discovery 975 wins hands down. The fact that Plantronics improved their battery case and included a never-before-seen LCD screen to give you battery status on the headset and case is amazing... Western Digital WD TV Live HD Media Player Video @ tweaktown.com [Oct-22-09] (0 Comments) Today we present you with a video review of the Western Digital WD TV Live HD media player. It is the third media player to be released by the American hard drive company in the past year and from all accounts and our testing; they’ve hit the nail on the head with its third version!Western Digital added an Ethernet LAN port so that you can stream media over your network and also access online services including YouTube, Flickr and Live365 directly from the media player itself. This is the first time we’ve seen this type of very solid implementation in a media player – suffice to say, we are very impressed. DFI LanParty BI G41-T33 Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Oct-16-09] (0 Comments) Today we have the opportunity to take a look at another board in the LanParty series from DFI. The LanParty series has always been a favorite of mine because of the tweaking options and the overclocking ability that they have. The board we get to look at today, though, was one that most would not think would belong in that series of boards. It is a micro board, uses the older LGA775 socket coupled with DDR3 memory, and has the G41 chipset that sports the GMA X4500 on-board graphics chip... TechwareLabs s the GlacialTech X-Wing Series Laptop/Notebook Cooler @ techwarelabs.com [Oct-14-09] (0 Comments) As laptops continue to outsell desktops, the market of laptop/notebook accessories continues to grow. One of the bigger accessories the larger audience is looking into are notebook coolers. While many of these coolers tend to look bulky, bland, and sometimes just plain ugly, GlacialTech has taken a new approach with their X-Wing Series R1 Notebook Cooler. Active Media Products Penguin BLU Pen Drive @ tweaktown.com [Oct-14-09] (0 Comments) Active Media Products sent us a surprise with the Executive I 2-in-1 Carbon Fiber Pen we took a look at last month. I have to admit I am not up to date on Linux or the many builds. The last time I sat down and tried to do anything with the operating system was a few nights before throwing my last LAN party where Linux was run on a few of the servers.The Active Media Products Penguin BLU is quite an odd creature. On the surface it looks like a cute little USB drive that a fifth grader would be carrying around. Once installed the drive springs to life like an action movie. You can use the drive either as a standard run of the mill thumb drive or set your BIOS to boot from a USB device and be looking at a Linux desktop in under a minute. Message-ID:MIME-Version:Content-Type:X-Mailer:thread-index:Content-Language; @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Oct-09-09] (0 Comments) Today I will be reviewing the In Win Maelstrom, a full towerchassis. In Win is not the most well known brand, at least amongst UKenthusiasts, however with the ambitions and working ethic that In Win haveset out, I am looking forward to reviewing their latest PC Case. Lucid HYDRA 200 Details and Interviews with AMD, Lucid & NVIDIA @ legitreviews.com [Sep-30-09] (0 Comments) The demo that we were shown behind closed doors was of course an MSI Big Bang motherboard that was running Windows 7 and ATI Radeon HD 4890 and GeForce GTX 260 graphics cards at the same time with both cards being load balanced. Notice that the Lucid HYDRA 200 load balancing solution has no interconnects, bridges, external dongles or adapters that are needed. Both cards were running fine and we were able to change which card had the monitor output on it from the Windows 7 desktop, which was pretty slick. Lucid gave us a chance to try out PC Game titles F.E.A.R. 2:Project Origin and Bioshock to see what the future of scalable graphics looks like with the Hydra 200. We must admit that we were fairly impressed with what we saw as the technology appeared to be working without any issues on these two game titles... Lancool Dragonlord PC-K62 @ techpowerup.com [Sep-18-09] (0 Comments) The Lancool PC-K62 is the high-end model of the Dragonlord Series. It comes stuffed with four fans, screw-less systems everywhere you look within that black interior and a cool looking window to top things off. We go in for the kill to see if we can tame the Dragon. Swiftech Apogee GTZ Core i7 Waterblock @ legitreviews.com [Sep-13-09] (0 Comments) Here is Swiftech’s flagship CPU waterblock, the Apogee GTZ i7. Now if you happen already have an Apogee GTZ for your LGA775 system the GTZ i7 is the same block but with the LGA1366 mounting hardware; speaking of which, you can buy the mounting kit, Apogee-GTZ-Ci7-HD, to transplant the waterblock from your LGA775 system to your LGA1366 system. In all I’m rather impressed with the Apogee GTZ Core i7 CPU water block. Combined with the rest of the cooling system this is the coolest the test bench has run when overclocked or otherwise. Granted, the cost of the overall cooling loop is almost double the cost of the Cooler Master V10, but it is actually quieter... Why Must Everything Be Online? @ techwarelabs.com [Aug-31-09] (0 Comments) Remember the days when you could call your bank and speak to someone on the phone. Why do I have to Check my balance online? Remember when you could go to Blockbuster and pick out a movie? Why must I pick out the movies on their website and have them shipped to me now? Why oh why must everything be online? [News] Kingwin EZ-Dock 2 @ virtual-hideout.net [Aug-29-09] (0 Comments) Personal storage is all the rage with home computer users nowadayswith users looking to save and backup their digital photos, movies, personaland private data easily and safely. Next to using a simple USB flash drive,a USB hard drive dock, utilizing a full sized hard drive, is the simplestmethod to backup a tremendous amount of data, depending entirely on the sizeof the hard drive you choose to plug into it. Kingwin is no stranger to thismarket and has already done quite well with it's original EZ-Dock hard drivedocking system we've reviewed. Today they are back with the EZ-Dock 2 andthey've given us the honor of checking it out for you guys. Come along as wedive deeper into this product. Kingston SSDNow V+ SSD @ benchmarkreviews.com [Aug-28-09] (0 Comments) Early on in their debut, Solid State Drives were planned as included equipment on new computers coming from tier one manufacturers such TechwareLabs s the NZXT Panzerbox LAN Case @ techwarelabs.com [Aug-26-09] (0 Comments) In this corner, we have NZXT’s Panzerbox mid-tower LAN case. This featherweight can pack a heavyweight and not tire you out on the trip to the LAN as well as provide the proper cooling for your portable heater. We’ll weigh in the NZXT Panzerbox after the break. [Affiliates News] Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard @ aphnetworks.com [Aug-23-09] (0 Comments) The original Logitech G15 keyboard (And its 2007 mid-modelchange) proved to be a very popular and successful keyboard for gamers andprofessionals alike. Featuring a convenient and openly customizable screen, ahuge array of programmable keys for different macro functions, andmiscellaneous enhancements such as backlit keys -- all of this whileretaining all the basics of what a regular keyboard should be -- there's noreason why it's not as widely embraced as we've seen it. Almost four yearsafter its initial debut, Logitech understands that it is time to produce itssuccessor, and tingle the hearts of every enthusiast as well as gamers onceagain. Often times, it is quite a challenge for product designers to improveupon what already is an excellent product. This is especially true when theteam and Logitech had to perfect the G15 gaming keyboard with a productrefresh just not too long ago. Fast forward to 2009. What could they add?What could they change? What could they keep? To find out what they actuallydid, we took the dive for you. Recently, we received Logitech's latestiteration of their high end G-series gaming keyboard for review:the LogitechG19. Will it just be another G15 refresh with a different name, or asignificantly improvement that would send you driving recklessly to yournearby electronics retailer to make the purchase? Read on to find out. By theway, here's an interesting feature:a color LCD screen that has a hardwareaccelerator, so you can even watch videos on it. Let me be the first one tosay this:Welcome to the world of Logitech's G19. Azza Solano 1000 ATX Full Tower PC Case @ legitreviews.com [Aug-18-09] (0 Comments) The build quality of the case is also very nice; everything is rounded where it needs to be and overall the Solano 1000 is very sturdy. Azza stepped it up a notch over Antec, though, with the larger fans and being overall quieter and cool without having to tweak fan speeds. The improvement to the drive cage design with the padding and ability to use standard hardware is nice too... QNAP TS-239 Pro Turbo NAS @ pcreview.co.uk [Aug-14-09] (0 Comments) The QNAP TS-239 Pro is a next generation model based on the Intel Atom platform which includes even more features suited to an office environment (such as iSCSI). This NAS includes two drive bays (providing up to 4TB storage) and the unit size has been reduced substantially to a mere 214x175x115mm.This little NAS includes a 1.6Ghz atom CPU, 1GB DDRII memory and two gigabit LAN ports – which is much more powerful than many competing devices. Not only does this improve the performance of some elements (such as the PHP/MySQL server), but it ensures that a larger number of clients can use the NAS without performance degradation. Similar to other QNAP variants there are 12 primary functions which the NAS unit can perform. Corsair Obsidian Series 800D ATX Chassis @ legitreviews.com [Aug-11-09] (0 Comments) The Corsair Obsidian 800D might be a massive full ATX tower chassis, but it was designed to be a well functioning chassis. Corsair wanted the case to be that large so multi-GPU video card setups could be used as well as allowing custom water cooling kits to be installed. The Corsair Obsidian Series 800D chassis is also an example of what happens when you think outside the box and design something from the ground up. Several of the design features are unique to this chassis and make it stand out from the crowd. It has clearly done well enough to earn our Innovation Award and we can't wait to see what Corsair is planning for their next case design... Plantronics Voyager PRO Bluetooth Headset @ legitreviews.com [Aug-09-09] (0 Comments) There are a bunch of great Bluetooth headsets on the market today with the Aliph Jawbone, BlueAnt Z9i, and the Plantronics Discovery 925 leading the way. From my perspective, the Plantronics Voyager PRO should be considered by anyone who wants one of the best sounding Bluetooth headsets on the market. The DSP is certainly dialed into reducing background noise and excels in almost all noisy environments... Corsair Hydro Series H50 CPU Water Cooling Kit @ legitreviews.com [Jul-29-09] (0 Comments) Corsair decided that for their third CPU Liquid cooling solution that they would work with Asetek and implement a couple of minor changes on their LCLC (redesigned the pump and cold plate) and then bring it to the retail market under the Corsair brand name. The plan worked and Corsair announced the Hydro Series H50 CPU Cooler on June 2, 2009, which is improved Asetek LCLC cooler. The result is a CPU cooler that Corsair claims is an easy-to-install CPU cooling solution that outperforms stock CPU coolers by more than 30%. ENERMAX AURORA MICRO KEYBOARD @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-17-09] (0 Comments) The new Aurora Micro is a lightweight portable version of thePremium. It is ideally meant for someone that does not have room for aregular-sized keyboard or maybe even for a HTPC build that you are planningon. Enermax describes it as the ideal Office keyboard. No matter what youdecide to use it for, you can believe that it is rich with extra features. DFI LanParty Jr. 790GX-M3H5 Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Jul-16-09] (0 Comments) I would have to say that I was pretty excited to get my hands on a DFI motherboard. It has been awhile since I have had the opportunity to look at one, so I was eager to see how the DFI LanParty Jr 790GX-M3H5 motherboard would stack up against some of the others we have tested. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed, and here is why... Koolance CPU-LN2 Liquid Nitrogen Evaporator @ legitreviews.com [Jul-03-09] (0 Comments) The times are a-changin'. In the past for extreme overclocking cooling solutions your options were rather limited. You could pay an arm and a leg to a machine shop to make a one-off pot or turn to the handful of pot makers and wait till they had another batch complete. With Koolance things have been simplified to directing your browser to Koolance.com and swiping(typing in) your credit card. Within a week you could be up and running, easily pushing your processor beyond what is possible with air, water, or simple phase change cooling systems. Koolance's CPU-LN2 is a nickle plated copper pot designed to be used with dry ice and liquid nitrogen for extreme overclocking... Altec Lansing VS2421 Compact Speaker System @ rbmods.com [Jun-24-09] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing, a division of Plantronics Inc., has a new set ofcompact computer speakers made to conserve desk space and still pack anaudio punch. Tailored toward the budget crowd, this setup features two smallfootprint satellite speakers and an oblong subwoofer meant to use as littlespace as possible underneath your desk. Can this set of speakers really helpsave space and still sound great? Keep reading to find out how they stack upto the competition. NZXT Panzerbox @ techpowerup.com [Jun-22-09] (0 Comments) The Panzerbox intends to mow down the competition like a tank, as it is aimed at the uncompromising LAN party gamer. The compact case has all the space for large components to pack quite the punch. We take the case for a spin to see if it delivers more than just a menacing look. Zalman CNPS9900 LED CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-11-09] (0 Comments) The CNPS line takes chances in idea and design, especially when itcomes to the new CNPS9900 cooler. Not that I am not a fan of the typicalflower design we have seen from Zalman, but there is a time when one mustmove forward. With the competitive nature of the market, this is mostdefinitely true with cooling technology. The new cooler keeps the usual heatpipes we're accustomed to seeing, but the fins surrounding the pipes are nowsplit in half, resulting in two half coolers with a PWM controller inbetween them. But is this semi-new look enough to be fitted in your plansfor your next rig build? We shall see. contains G.a.p.p.y-T.e.x.t @ testfreaks.com [Jun-08-09] (0 Comments) When you hear the name Tom Clancy, you think of his books first and then avery close second, the games that bear his name. The majority of his games,like the Rainbow Six collection are all about teamwork, stealth and tactics .The game I have for review today veers a bit off from the norm of his games ,it's called H.A.W.X. and it's a flying game, not a flight simulator, mo re ofan arcade style combat flight game. H.A.W.X. is set in the near future wher ecorporations have basically replaced government run military in manycountries, they're mercenaries essentially. TechwareLabs s the D-Link DHA-390 Network Camera Set @ techwarelabs.com [Jun-04-09] (0 Comments) Defend your room with the new D-Life DHA-390 Internet surveillance starter kit, follow Matt Androski as TechwareLabs gives you the ins and outs of this new product with real hands on real world usage. Will this camera be the next hot thing? Or will it sit on the TechwareLabs shelves? SilverStone Sugo SST-SG05B Mini ITX Case @ pcper.com [May-31-09] (0 Comments) All in all, the SG05 was a joy to use and work with. Creative endusers will love all the possibilities this case brings to the table. Basicusers will be able to install a simple mini-ITX system in less than an hourtoo. Gamers will also be able to customize this case and bring it to theirnext LAN party instead of lugging around that full tower they are used tobringing. This case seems to hit several key target audiences and should bea favorite of the modding community too. We would like to congratulateSilverStone on making a logical, compact, and sleek case that the masseswill appreciate and love. We award it PC Perspective's Gold Award. TechwareLabs s the Synology DS209+ NAS @ techwarelabs.com [May-28-09] (0 Comments) Today TechwareLabs takes a look at the ever popular DS209+ NAS by Synology. With the capability of supporting 2TB Drives, popular gaming systems, and the ability to act as a Surveillance Station, it is hard to go wrong with DS209+. Join Matt Homan as we take the dive in and see what this NAS can do. Orbitsound T3 portable battery powered speaker @ pro-clockers.com [May-28-09] (0 Comments) I'm zigging today when you expected me to zag. Up for review is theOrbitsound T3 portable battery powered personal stereo speaker withairSOUND. Yes, I know. This isn't a power supply or case review. Don't letyourself feel too disheartened. I have a case review waiting in the wings,but I took time off from that once I got my hands on the T3. Orbitsound isan UK-based company and the T3 is just one of their offerings that sportairSOUNDR single-point-stereo technology. Before we can get into the reviewsome explanation is necessary about airSOUND and what it does. What betterplace to find it than Orbitsound's web site. Early look @ tweaktown.com [May-26-09] (0 Comments) Not only did we get to see GIGABYTE's early adoption of SATA-III today, but we also got to see both of its UD5 and UD4P motherboards based on Intel's upcoming Core i5 supporting P55 Express chipset. In this early Computex live demo, GIGABYTE mentioned that it is not only focusing on new hardware features but also new software additions to its lineup. The major new piece of software is GIGABYTE Smart TPM, but we will talk about that early next week once Computex begins as there may be some changes planned from what we saw today. You will be surprised just how easy it is to completely secure your private files and folders with a USB pen drive or Bluetooth device such as a mobile phone. AMD Phenom II X4 955 LHe Overclocking Event @ legitreviews.com [May-26-09] (0 Comments) Last week AMD organized a small overclocking event for a group of overclockers from North America. Hosted at AMD's facility in Austin, Texas, the event was arranged to match competitive overclockers with the best silicon coming out of AMD's fabs in hopes of breaking some records and possibly hitting 7GHz. AMD invited three overclockers, Vince Lucido aka K|ngp|n, Brian McLachlan aka chew*, and Chris Morrell, aka Gomeler. On hand to answer questions and make sure things went smoothly were Peter Hardman and Simon Solotko of AMD. The overclocking went from Wednesday through Friday night with necessary breaks taken to keep the benchers for passing out on their feet. Cooler Master HAF 922 @ techpowerup.com [May-24-09] (0 Comments) The Cooler Master HAF 922 is not just a smaller version of the very cool looking 932. It manages to improve things in many areas, to look even cooler, be even more affordable and possibly strike more fear and awe into your opponent at that next LAN party. Message-ID:MIME-Version:Content-Type:X-Mailer:Thread-Index:Content-Language:X-Source:X-Source-Args:X-Source-Dir; @ X-Source-Args:X-Source-Dir; [May-23-09] (0 Comments) If you'd have asked me what OCZ made, up until a couple of years agoI would have said memory, but they seem to make all sorts of interestingthings and fortunately I've been made aware of this (and even have theprivilege of testing some of their stuff!). Today We are looking at theirBehemoth dual laser gaming mouse Thermaltake Element S Mid-Tower Chassis @ tweaktown.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has been in the case game for quite a while now and I remember when the company first launched the Xaser series of cases. While not to everyone's liking, they did push the boundary with looks while also offering a pretty nice feature set at the same time. Over the years we've seen more and more cases from Thermaltake and as someone who's a fan of cases that aren't all that loud, when it comes to the looks department the Element S from first glance looked like a nice case. TechwareLabs s the Thermaltake ElementS @ techwarelabs.com [May-22-09] (0 Comments) In the ElementS series there's two types of cases, the VK60001N2Z(the one we're reviewing), and the VK60001W2Z. The difference is simple, VK60001W2Z has a side panel 240mm fan made mainly for VGA cooling. If you are planning on getting a Crossfire or SLi solution with 2 high end cards, or just impressing your friend with a huge fan, my suggestion is to get VK60001W2Z. Coolermaster Scout @ pro-clockers.com [May-21-09] (0 Comments) Besides looks features is another tough and rough area to conquer andkeep the price decent. The integrated fan LED controller, one/two handcarrying handle and the solid black interior are just a couple of optionsthat users will like for the $100 asking price of the Scout. The Scout doesoffer some cable management features as well but due to the shorter narrowerdesign there isn't a lot of outlets for cables to exit to the rear of thecase. This may not be a large deal breaker due to the fact this is more of aLAN case and I don't see many having to buckling down too many cablesbecause of the lack of components they may use in the case. Sapphire Vapor X - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [May-07-09] (0 Comments) Sapphirefirst introduced its graphics cards which implemented theVapor-X coolers back in 2007 with its 3870 Atomic cards. The Vapor-Xtechnology meant that graphics cards could be efficiently cooled andstill remain silent using a liquid coolant which vaporised at the hotGPU’s IHS. Recently Sapphire has revitalised their Vapor-X video cardswith the birth of the HD 4850 and 4870. Today we’ve kindly been giventhe 4850 to review, let’s see how it performs. Western Digital RE4-GP 2TB :Big Green Gets Meaner! @ pcper.com [May-07-09] (0 Comments) I went into this review knowing the RE4 would outperform the CaviarGreen. What I was not expecting was a drive threatening to dethrone theVelociRaptor. This really is a serious piece of storage gear. After seeingthe quality and performance of the RE4 series first hand, I plan to shift mydata onto a set of these just as soon as I can get my hands on them. Cooler Master Storm Scout @ techpowerup.com [May-05-09] (0 Comments) The CM Storm Scout is the newest additon to the gaming line-up of Cooler Master. It comes packed with a lot of gamer oriented features and mean looks. To top things off, the Scout features a built-in handle so you can carry your rig to that next big LAN party without breaking a sweat. Lian Li PC-A05N & Maxima Force 470 W @ techpowerup.com [Apr-28-09] (0 Comments) The Lian Li PC-A05N is an extremely compact chassis, which can still hold a full size ATX board, thanks to a unique interior layout. This should make the case a great choice for LAN party gamers or those looking to stuff as much in as little space as possible. Pair the case with one of those Lian Li Maxima Force power supplies and you have a great base for an ultra compact power house. GMC R4 Bulldozer - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-27-09] (0 Comments) Caseshave evolved dramatically in recent times to be so much more than ametal box to keep your rig inside. A whole series of factors determinethe quality of a case:strength, cooling, noise, cable management andsize to name but a few. However, the aesthetics of PC enclosures aremore important than ever with enthusiasts wanting an attractive casewith all the gizmos and features available in order to show off at aLAN. The GMC R-4 Bulldozer certainly has a few special features up itssleeve particularly the front panel design. The question though, iswhether the case can still be high quality despite all the extrastyling? Let’s find out. In Win X-Fighter & Commander 750 W @ techpowerup.com [Apr-27-09] (0 Comments) The X-Fighter takes its inspiration from the Star Wars universe. In Win has gone to great length and created their own design around that aspect. The result is a very interesting chassis with a lot of unique features and one of a kind, animated LEDs, which are certain to draw a lot attention at the next LAN Party. Asus VW226H Monitor @ rbmods.com [Apr-26-09] (0 Comments) In need of a new monitor? Then take a closer look at this monitorwith its 26 inches and full HD resolution! At first glance it seems to be apretty nice monitor and knowing Asus their prices are not very high eitherwhich is always a plus. A HDMI output with 2 MS and alot more featuresreally seems to make this a good monitor but does it live up to its name ordoes it have back bleed issues like previous Asus monitors? Sennheiser IE6 Earphones @ techpowerup.com [Apr-15-09] (0 Comments) Sennheiser recently launched the IE6 earphones. Marketed at budget conscious sound enthusiasts, Sennheiser aims to conquer a market already booming with new and innovative products. For a price of $200 you get a very smooth listening experience with a nice balance between the lows and highs. Scythe Typhoon - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Apr-08-09] (0 Comments) Despitenot being very glamorous or exciting, fans are essential toevery rig out there. The balance between cooling and noise is a key onethat differs for every user depending on their own personalpreferences. With so many different shapes, sizes, colours and designson the market, it’s difficult to know which will suit you best. Well,if you’re looking for a quiet 92mm fan then the fan up for review today– the Scythe Gentle Typhoon 92mm 2150 RPM Cooling Fan – could just bethe perfect fan for you. Read on to see what we thought. Novatech Zu PC @ driverheaven.net [Apr-08-09] (0 Comments) LCD display.Read the review here: http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews.php?reviewid=749-- Allan =93Zardon=94 CampbellDriverheaven/GamingHeaven Editor In ChiefBA/BSc (Honours) Digital Art and TechnologyBA (Honours), Graphic and Media Design (Typo/Graphic Design)www.driverheaven.net | www.gamingheaven.net |This message is intended only for the use of the person(s) (=93The intended recipients)=94 to whom it is addressed). It may contain information which is privileged and confidential within the meaning of applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender as soon as possible. The views or offers expressed in this communication may not necessarily be those held by the company and must be clarified if in doubt.Company Registration Number:4019815VAT Number:GB879288744--Apple-Mail-76-972505695Content-Type:text/html; charset=WINDOWS-1252Content-Transfer-Encoding:quoted-printableNovatech are a well known and reputable supplier of computer hardware and accessories in the UK and they sell a range of gadgets and electronics. They have a large offering of prebuilt desktop and laptop machines in their online store and today we're going to look at the Novatech Zu, a desktop computer containing ATI's fastest single GPU available on the market today accompanied with a Hyundai W240D 24 Plantronics Explorer 370 Ruggedized Bluetooth Headset @ legitreviews.com [Apr-05-09] (0 Comments) Working with the Explorer 370 is really easy and natural. The headset just seems to work right with no weird quirks or hiccups. When a phone call comes in or when the user initiates a call, the headset responds quickly and transfers calls as fast as any headset we have tested. Advertised range of the headset is 33 feet and when tested in an open area, we can confirm those numbers. Usable range for the headset is easily 15-20 feet before encountering static or dropouts. For the majority of users - even those who have a need for a ruggedized headset – the range of the Explorer 370 will be satisfactory. It certainly doesn’t match the 100-foot + range of the Callpod Dragon, but then again, who really needs that kind of range? Lancool Metal Boned K6 @ techpowerup.com [Mar-30-09] (0 Comments) The Lancool Metal Boned K6 packs a lot of the exclusive new features found in the modern Lian Li cases in a sleek and clean designed case. The Lancool Metal Boned K6 is intended for LAN party gamers, wanting great construction quality and sturdiness in combination with the looks and engineering backbone one has come to expect from Lian Li. [News] In Win NA 3.5" External HDD Enclosure @ virtual-hideout.net [Mar-17-09] (0 Comments) When I first saw the In Win NA at CES, my first impression wassomewhere between intrigue and confusion. At a distance, you couldn't tellwhat it was exactly. But, it had to be something tech related being that itwas CES. Sitting there on the table was what appeared to be a whiteporcelain storage container of sorts. It was the small white button and wirecut outs that suggested it was more than just any container, but a harddrive enclosure. At first glance, even my wife wondered what motivation wasbehind such a concept. And, she wondered what makes it so different from thecountless other enclosures that have been on the test bench. Once it wasassembled and set in the perfect spot on the desk, it suddenly revealed itsvalue and purpose. Thermaltake SpinQ CPU Cooler @ pcper.com [Mar-06-09] (0 Comments) Thermaltake's new SpinQ CPU cooler delivers good cooling performancewith minimal noise and it looks great. The fit-n-finish is good and theperformance to noise ratio is above average. The cooler is easy to installand features mounts for both Intel and AMD platforms. However overclockersand users interested in maximum performance will likely want to lookelsewhere. GigaTribe Private Peer-2-Peer Software @ techdomain.com.au [Mar-05-09] (0 Comments) The GigaTribe software is an interesting concept. At first glance it seems to be a mix of P2P software, together with a hint of IM, and a tiny dash of Facebook or any other social networking site thrown in on the side. Find out how GigaTribe Private Peer-2-Peer can work for you! Corsair Memory Designs Enthusiast ATX Case @ legitreviews.com [Mar-03-09] (0 Comments) If you take a look at this picture you can see spots for three 120mm fans located at the top of the Corsair case. These will be spaced for a triple 120mm radiator and will even come pre-drilled for the radiator! Corsair has also included water cooling cutouts in the back, so water coolers should be highly interested in this case as you should be able to mod it very easily. Something else that is very interesting is that the Corsair case comes with four hot swappable hard drive caddies that slip into a standard SATA backplane. The corsair case can hold six 3.5 MNPCTECH Spring Loaded Case Handles @ modders-inc.com [Feb-27-09] (0 Comments) So, you've just finished modding a kick butt gaming rig, adding akiller paint job that causes neck snapping double-takes, to take to LANparties? But, it is a pain to carry around, it's heavy for one thing andhaving to clean finger prints etc off the paint is a drag. If only it hadhandles eh? Alienware Area-51 m15x 15.4-inch Gaming Notebook @ tweaktown.com [Feb-23-09] (0 Comments) Gaming notebooks are an odd breed of machine that tends to be much more expensive than what you could get a higher performance desktop for. However, anyone who has tried to lug a decked out full tower desktop gaming machine to a LAN party can tell you, sometimes giving up performance for portability isn’t such a bad thing. Today we are going to look at one of the latest gaming notebooks form Alienware called the Area-51 m15x. As you can gather from the name of the gaming rig, it uses a 15-inch screen and packs oodles of performance inside the slick looking chassis. If you have the green and you want a serious 15-inch portable gaming machine, this is the review for you. Kentech Labs Ps-Mi Portable Apple iPod Audio System @ legitreviews.com [Feb-17-09] (0 Comments) With more than 173 million Apple iPods sold as of September 2008, the iPod has become a staple in households and offices around the World. Since the Apple iPod has become so popular many find themselves unable to part form them and take them to and from work, which means you have to have a way to listen to your large collection of music at both locations. Using headphones to listen to your music in the privacy of your own home does not really make sense, and transporting a docking station between multiple locations isn't going to happen. That leaves you with the option to buy a docking station for wherever you plan on listening to your music. With tough economic times you have to get certain 'bang for the buck,' and the Apple iPod universal docking station by Odio called PS-Mi might just be a winner from both an audio and price perspective... Message-ID:MIME-Version:Thread-Index:Content-Language:X-Authenticated-Sender:X-BeenThere:X-Mailman-Version:Precedence:List-Id:List-Unsubscribe:List-Archive:List-Post:List-Help:List-Subscribe:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Sender:Errors-To:X-Mailer:X-Face; @ overclockersonline.net [Feb-16-09] (0 Comments) Often, when a product is marketed for a certain special feature, itsuffers in other aspects. The ATP EarthDrive is not one of those products.In addition to being the world's first recyclable USB drive, it alsoperforms well. With read speeds just shy of 30 MB/s and write speeds of 10MB/s, the EarthDrive is similar to other USB drives we've reviewed in thepast. Its small size also makes it easy to work with. Also, it's waterproof! Zalman GS1000 Full-Tower Case ed @ thetechlounge.com [Feb-11-09] (0 Comments) You want a big, breezy, E-ATX case. You've gone over your floor plans, mov ed the furniture around, checked the availability of outlets, and made sure the space next to your desk can withstand the weight. Good. You're ready . There are only a few options that don't look like recycled server equi pment, and Zalman's got their entry. Of course, these enclosures get expen sive. This particular case's appeal is that it's not that expensi ve. It's available for less than =24200, but it's got the slick looks and volume of cases that cost another fifty or more. So we know that something 's left out of this case; the Cosmos has all kinds of NVIDIA ESA hardware, that adds to the sticker, but the Zalman 1000 has a SATA hot-swap cage, tho se probably add about the same build costs. What's been overlooked? Const ruction, or fit-and-finish?=22 AMD Phenom II X4 810 AM3/AM2+ Processor @ benchmarkreviews.com [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) The Dragon platform is AMDs last hope for success in a time when financial ruin is destroying every business on the planet. Perhaps the SimpleTech [Re]Drive - 500GB External Hard Drive @ techwarelabs.com [Jan-30-09] (0 Comments) If you have a lot of important data that you need to back up, you need an external hard drive. I know exactly what youre thinking:why not help out your planet while you back up your information? Well now you can. Join Will as we take a look at the energy-efficient, resource-conscious external hard drive made with renewable, naturally grown bamboo and recyclable aluminum. And its got 500GB of storage priced less than the drive alone costs to boot. But will the energy efficiency affect the drives performance? Join us as we take a closer look. [News] VH Attends PDXLAN 13 @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-25-09] (0 Comments) When you go to any PDX event, you'll see vendor booths whichincluded Patriot Memory, Antec, DangerDen, Intel, and usually one gamesponsor who offers a free licensed copy of a decent game title. Last event,everyone received Front Lines:Fuel of War. This time, we all got a copy ofCall of Duty:World at War. (SWEET!) As usual, there were many, many eliteand customized systems for browsing pleasure. Sure, some are proprietary.But, with a little creativity, they look much better. The customized casecontest awarded $1500 to its creator. Only, actual customized cases/systemswere entered in to the event. Evo-G MP3 Mousepad @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-23-09] (0 Comments) A few weeks ago I was contacted by Evo-G to review their newestgaming mouse pad the MP3. Evo-G is one of those companies that wantseveryone to get the best from their mice when it come to fragging anddemolishing your enemy's army. They did well with the MP1 and MP2. The MP3is the latest model from them that is produced out of cloth and rubber withsome killer graphics. Is the MP3 worthy of being placed on your desktop? Weplan on answering that question by the end of this review. Inwin Commander 1200W Power Supply @ jonnyguru.com [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) Two years ago, in late 2006, a weird electronics tech was draftedby jonnyGURU.com to torture innocent power supplies for crimes they did notcommit. This electronics tech promptly began to take his job too seriously,and was then thrown into an imaginary maximum security mental institution.He promptly escaped from this institution into the Saskatchewan wilderness.Today, still hunted by men in white coats, he's up against an InwinCommander 1200W power supply which he plans to try and let the magic smokeout of. Intel Put Graphics Into Pineview Atom CPUs - VR-Zone @ vr-zone.com [Jan-19-09] (0 Comments) Intel is planning to launch the successor to the current Atom lineup in Q4 [News] Patriot Viper PC3-12800 6GB Tri-Channel Memory @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-11-09] (0 Comments) However, when the Patriot Viper PC3-12800 6GB Triple Channel Memoryis pushed to its full potential, there's a huge amount of memory bandwidthavailable which the I7 can use with things like audio and video formatting.It's actually quite surprising to see just how fast the kit is in both dualand triple channel mode. To give you a good idea, formatting an 8GB videofile came close to matching the Skull Trail's performance which I had ondemo at PDXLAN. The difference here is that the Skull Trail is two physicalCore 2 Quad Extreme 1600 MHz FSB processors versus a single Extreme 965 withHyperthread making virtually 8 cores. Apple has plans for iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro in 2009 @ pcper.com [Jan-05-09] (0 Comments) The Tylersburg chipset is essentially that used by the X58motherboards we have reviewed here at PC Perspective and is the ONLY chipsetcurrently for the Core i7 line of CPUs. This new hardware shift would givethe 28 [News] PromoLocker Custom VH USB Drive @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-04-09] (0 Comments) What we will be looking at today is what PromoLocker calls their U29- Lanyard Drive. This product, like their many many others is fullycustomizable with colors, logos and even text on the lanyard itself and isavailable in sizes from a measly 64MB all the way up to a hefty 8GB. We'llbe looking at the 8GB size today with a custom Virtual-Hideout.net suit on.Let's take a look at what PromoLocker has to say about this particularitem. ASUS Eee PC 1002HA @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-04-09] (0 Comments) We took an in-depth look on the new member of ASUS Eee PC, 1002HA, which is a “Netbook” (small laptop) based on Intel Atom N270 CPU (1.6 GHz) with 1 GB RAM, 160 GB HDD, 1.3 MP webcam, 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN, Bluetooth and more. Various News Items @ bit-tech.net [Jan-03-09] (0 Comments) */Part platformer, part content creation tool, LittleBigPlanet comes from a group of ex-Lionhead developers who sought to bring their unique sense of humour to the PlayStation 3. While a good part of the game is actually built as a frustratingly difficult 2D platformer, the core part of //LittleBigPlanet is actually a complex series of tools that let players make their own levels and experiments. Think //Garry's Mod for consoles. AirLive WL-2000CAM IP Camera @ techpowerup.com [Dec-31-08] (0 Comments) The WL-2000CAM is a brand new IP camera solution from AirLive. The camera is tailored for home surveillance and even has its own lights so you can use it in a dim room. Much like the other cameras from AirLive this one has wireless capabilities and can even stream video to a 3G cellphone. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 P - Performance King Returns @ pcper.com [Dec-18-08] (0 Comments) The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 has definitely taken back the topperformance spot from AMD and the HD 4870 X2 card - a new king has beencrowned. We still have some questions to answer before giving ourunequivocal thumbs up on it including noise and power consumption, but atfirst glance both of those look like they are in check and within reasonablelimits. By combining two 55nm GT200 GPUs into a single graphics card designNVIDIA was able to reassert leadership in the market - a move the companywas in desperate need of. Christmas 2008 Graphics Performance Roundup on Core @ bit-tech.net [Dec-17-08] (0 Comments) */Frankly, it's actually hard to separate the two in a single card configuration, because it's ultimately going to come down to which games you play and whether you plan to upgrade to CrossFire or SLI later down the line (on the proviso that you buy a board supporting SLI because not all do). There are strengths to both cards but neither has what I'd call a complete disaster along the way – overall, SLI looks to be the stronger option for the time being. Planet Express Klan's Eco-Intel Mod @ bit-tech.net [Dec-11-08] (0 Comments) */The build was designed around the four basic elements from Greek Civilitation:Fire, Air, Earth and Water, although in the mod we've used the Latin wording:Ignis, Aeris, Aqua and Tellus. In its origins, they represent the basic composition of the cosmos. The idea goes that these four elements are not only the ones that built the world but the ones that can destroy it as well:a thought that's clearly prevalent again in modern society mainly due to climate change:fires, rising sea levels, hurricanes and tornadoes and earthquakes. Technic3D/Lian LI PC-60 @ technic3d.com [Dec-11-08] (0 Comments) The Lian Li PC-60 Armorsuit Midi Tower is the next PC Case in the Technic3D Editorship. See you in the following Review which qualit ies and Features the Gaming Aluminium Tower from Lian Li presents. Be tter than the Lancool Metal Boned K7 or PC-60F? FSP Power Mod 700W Power Supply @ rbmods.com [Dec-06-08] (0 Comments) Choosing a power supply can be a tough choice, with a wide range ofsuppliers and features for each unit. While power output is important, thereare other factors such as efficiency, noise, and even looks that are equallyas important. Today we'll be looking at a 700W power supply from FSP, theFSP Power Mod 700W PSU, which has been designed with performance in mind.Will this power supply prove to be a good balance of all the factors thatmake a good power supply? Let's find out. Mod of the Month - November 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Dec-05-08] (0 Comments) */I have to admit, I have a bit of a soft spot for small form factor case mods and jhanlon303's latest project is another that has grabbed our attention this month. jhanlon303 has been making some good progress and, unlike his fellow modder on the previous page, he prefers a more hands on approach to planning. AeroCool AeroRacer Pro PC Case @ legitreviews.com [Dec-04-08] (0 Comments) It seems that over the years fans have become larger and it looks like they have finally become the same size as the case dimensions themselves. The first thing that jumps out at you when looking at the AeroCool AeroRacer Pro case is the 40cm or 15.7 inch box fan strapped to the side. At 400mm in size the fan is nearly as tall as the 410mm chassis, which makes it look like a box fan strapped to the side of the computer. Back in the early days of LAN gaming people used to improve cooling by using a household box fan, so it looks like that cooling trick finally went mainstream and a 120V electrical connection isn't needed... Altec Lansing SoundBar @ techwarelabs.com [Dec-03-08] (0 Comments) Looking for a set of computer speakers that are compact, but still loud enough to blow you away? Are you a audiophile that really wants to hear your music while at the office? Look no further. Today JasonD takes a look at the Altec Lansing SoundBar. Featuring XdB bass technology, the SoundBar is definitely something to check out. Patriot Warp v2 SATA SSD PE128GS25SSDR @ benchmarkreviews.com [Dec-02-08] (0 Comments) Solid State Drives are rapidly changing the computing landscape, and many enthusiasts are using SSD technology in their primary systems Razer Boomslang Collector's Edition 2007 Gaming Mouse @ techwarelabs.com [Dec-02-08] (0 Comments) To be at the top of your game you need hardware that works as hard as you do for every frag. Razer is well known in the gaming industry for providing serious gaming equipment. Take a ride with Ruffy as he straps in for some gaming experience Dreamhack Winter 2008 Coverage @ rbmods.com [Dec-01-08] (0 Comments) Our toughts of Dreamhack, the worlds biggest LAN party with almost10,000 computers connected to each other. See pictures all the way from oddcomputers to new hardware on the market. We have the whole LAN party in ourpicture article. [Affiliates News] Lenovo customer service hell, as you've heard @ aphnetworks.com [Nov-27-08] (0 Comments) A few weeks ago, I ordered a Lenovo T400 laptop -- and fromwhat I had read, it was one of the best laptops in the market. With excellentbattery life (9+ hours with a 9-cell, switchable integrated/dedicated onspecific models, and LED screen), generally excellent reputation for ThinkPadlaptop's excellent reliability, it was really hard to resist this purchase --considering the fact that my Dell Inspiron 6400 recently died. The LenovoT-series' features, performance, weight, you name it -- are as perfect as alaptop would be. The funny thing is, many of these customer service articlesthat I've been writing here on APH Networks started off with a couplenegative reviews, balanced with another handful of positive ones frommanufacturers such as BenQ, NEC, and Shaw Cable. And then it all stopped,with the amount of reviews that we've been putting out every week for thelast couple years. Well, while I'll still write this week's review(Hopefully!) despite spending time to write this article, here's a new onefor you:and right off the bat, I hate to say it but -- it's more thannegative. To clarify, I'm not trying to Tagan A+ Curbic Mid Tower Case @ legitreviews.com [Nov-24-08] (0 Comments) Overall, the Tagan found a nice balance of budget building practice, style, and features. The Curbic looks very nice with the mesh front panel and blue LED fans. The case was surprisingly quiet for running two 180mm fans. On high they are very much in the range of what would be considered livable for a desktop; with the fans on low it was very quiet. The Tagan Aplus Curbic is not yet available in the US, and has an estimated MSRP of $59.99 and should be available in retail stores before the holiday. The Curbic would be a very good fit for the user who wants an inexpensive, yet a nice looking, case... Tom Clancy's Endwar @ bit-tech.net [Nov-24-08] (0 Comments) */Tom Clancy's Endwar does show that it's possible to do RTS on a console, it's just that Ubisoft has achieved it by stripping out many of the things that make RTSes what they are. That's a bit like taking an F1 car and making it street legal by replacing the engine with one from a Mini Metro. Sure, it's still theoretically an F1 car, but it's not very exciting to drive. DFI's LANParty JR P45 T2RS motherboard @ bit-tech.net [Nov-24-08] (0 Comments) */The DFI LANParty JR P45 T2RS tries to bridge the gap between enthusiast and the average Joe Martin user and gets stuck at what it does best - offering the end user a chance to endless abuse the CPU-northbridge and memory, while entirely forgetting that it needs a variety of features to compete more competently in the P45 arena. Shaun White Snowboarding @ bit-tech.net [Nov-24-08] (0 Comments) */The game doesn't just reward button-mashers either and though the landing criteria are fairly lax for the most part so that you don't need to be perfectly lined up with the ground, you'll still need to have a decent understanding of timings if you want to get some sick scores. Technic3D/Lian Li PC-60F @ technic3d.com [Nov-23-08] (0 Comments) The Lian Li PC-60F is the next PC Case in the Technic3D Editor ship. See you in the following Review which qualities and Features the Aluminium Tower from Lian Li presents. Better than the Lancool Metal Boned K7? Gigabyte's GA-EP45-UD3R motherboard @ bit-tech.net [Nov-21-08] (0 Comments) */We've had a far better experience with this board than we have had with the DS3R - it feels more stable, more reliable, it looks better and for £100 it's good value too. It's not the most feature rich P45 on the market - it's missing dual LAN and CrossFire - but not everyone wants those, and there are lots of different P45s on the market to cater for every possible whim. It still has a very useful eight SATA, great audio, a superb BIOS and plenty of PCI and PCI-Express for expansion - all these are genuinely useful additions and not marketing gimmicks or ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GT 512MB AMP Video Card @ thetechlounge.com [Nov-19-08] (0 Comments) One of the greatest things about fabrication processes is that they can be shrunk. Assuming that your architecture is forward-thinking enough, and it navigates issues with power plane-mapping and transistor leakage and all that, you can take your design, make it smaller, run it faster, and use less power. ATI has reaped great successes going from 65nm to 55nm, and NVIDIA is going the same way with their G92 parts. This process will take their 8800 GT, an excellent performer at the time of its release, rename it 9800 GT, and reap away. I mean, that would be the way to do it if you wanted to make any sense whatsoever. Because this is a regular ol' 65nm part. First Look:DFI's LANParty UT X58 T3eH8 motherboard @ bit-tech.net [Nov-18-08] (0 Comments) */Finally, the BIOS. We've not got much information on this yet but we Technic3D/Lancool K7 @ technic3d.com [Nov-17-08] (0 Comments) The Lancool Metal Boned K7 is the next PC Case in the Technic3 D Editorship. See you in the following Review which qualities and Feat ures the Tower from Lancool (Lian Li) presents for a small Price. Technic3D/Red Alert3 @ technic3d.com [Nov-17-08] (0 Comments) Command and Conquer:Red Alert3 PC Game from Electronic Arts a rrived Technic3D. Command and Conquer:Red Alert 3 from EA brings back the fan-favorite real-time strategy game in its latest incarnation wi th new features, powers, technologies, and a different world. Now, you can play not just by yourself but also cooperatively with a friend as you take on the enemy in this glorious, over-the-top romp. In Red Ale rt 3, you have the choice to play as the Allies, the Soviets, or the E mpire of the Rising Sun and has land units, air units, and naval units , all integral parts of the game. For previous fans of Command and Con quer, Red Alert 3 will provide the same light-hearted game play, but w ith more units, more strategies, and more fun? See you in the followin g Review. Smooth Creations LANShark Gaming System @ legitreviews.com [Nov-13-08] (0 Comments) So what can we say about this beauty from Smooth Creations? For the intended audience it’s great. If you appreciate art or really want a departure from the norm for your next gaming PC, Smooth Creations' LANShark is one to keep on your short list. However the one thing I’ve left out until now is the price. At $2,537 this is not an inexpensive machine, but it really isn’t an incredible amount of money over the sum of its parts. When you consider the amount of work that’s been put in, the 1 year warranty on the parts, and the lifetime warranty on the paint (excludes scratching and chipping of course) it really isn’t a bad price if you’re in the market for a system you don’t put together yourself... First Look:Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 2GB @ bit-tech.net [Nov-05-08] (0 Comments) */There are some good things about the design too though -- the most important one may not sound very important, but it really is. Despite it being a physically bigger card than the 4870 X2, it's lighter and so you're unlikely to encounter problems if you're transporting your system (to LAN parties, for example) with everything assembled. We've seen a couple of Radeon HD 4870 X2-based systems that have ripped the PCI-Express x16 slot almost clean off the motherboard during shipping, so this concern isn't unfounded -- for those of you with Radeon HD 4870 X2s installed, we'd recommend removing the card before transporting your system if you're using the stock cooler. Nehalem Architecture Dive @ bit-tech.net [Nov-03-08] (0 Comments) */Well, as far as we know Intel is committed to the socket for the foreseeable future, there are multiple CPUs available from launch with a few more planned, but don't expect the wealth of choice currently available for LGA775. We don't know how well Lynnfield will perform in comparison to both LGA775 and LGA1366, but while the PCI-Express-CPU-Memory transfer will be more efficient there will be less memory bandwidth to play with. How important either of these factors are in Nehalem - compared to Penryn - will provide a key to the answer of how important the Lynnfield launch will be and whether it will be worth waiting a long time until Q309 for an overhaul upgrade. ATI All-In-Wonder HD Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Oct-31-08] (0 Comments) Overall I feel that the ATI All-In-Wonder HD is a great card for the casual gamer that is looking to upgrade their aging video card and would like to add HD content playback to their system. The bundled software is wonderful for anyone not planning to use Vista Media Center. There is little to dislike about the card, it is very quiet in operation and under the highest HD mode of operation the system uses less than 125W. Since so little power is used the video card stays nice and cool... SilverStone Raven Mouse @ modders-inc.com [Oct-28-08] (0 Comments) The look, balanced feel and cutting edge ideas shows me thatSilverStone is truly serious about the mouse market. If they take some ofthe feed back that has been put out on the web about the Raven, which hasbeen favorable, and tweak it I think that they will have one heck of mouseand most definitely be a serious contender in this market. A job well doneby SilverStone and thank you for pushing the limits on a mouse. [News] Antec Notebook Cooler 200 @ virtual-hideout.net [Oct-28-08] (0 Comments) To put it simple, I'm pleasantly surprised by the Antec NotebookCooler 200. Given the limited cooling benefits of the common cooler, it'snice to see it actually make a difference worth noting. There are a coupleother nice things noticed as well. While the notebook was crunching away,the battery remained cooler to the touch as well as the entire chassis. Andbeing that the testing was performed at a LAN, the cooler got a lot ofattention since it's one of the newest products from Antec. Plus, itdefinitely has a unique design which further perpetuated the onlooker'squestions. The comments were all positive. There was even one that I'm sure(as Antec reads this) would be worth looking in to, if they alreadyhaven't. St. Louis LAN Gaming - Warfactory LAN 2008 @ legitreviews.com [Oct-27-08] (0 Comments) The Warfactory LAN had 51 computers in the BYOC during the seven hours that we were on hand on Saturday. This was a little smaller than we expected as past local events had 112 people in 2004 and 72 people in 2005, but Warfactory still had a strong sponsorship of the event... IDF Fall 2008 Coverage - Nehalem benchmarks, Turbo Boost, SSDs and Widget Channel @ tweaktown.com [Oct-21-08] (0 Comments) A Core i7 running at 3.2GHz with an ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics card was compared against a current generation QX9770 also running at 3.2GHz with the same graphics card and hard disk drive.The game used was Lost Planet:Colonies and the fly-by benchmark demo showed the Nehalem based system beating out the present day most high-end Intel processor by around 20%. Take a closer look for yourself in the video below. Sunnytek Mobile Mini Backplane @ legitreviews.com [Oct-17-08] (0 Comments) With the laptop market growing in leaps in bounds over the last few years, the call for mobile external storage is sure to grow with it. SunnyTek has attempted to bridge the gap with its Mini Mobile Back Plane. As SSDs become more commonplace in laptops, the call for larger external storage will grow even more. For those early adopters of the SSD technology, we are often pigeon-held with small hard drives, which for the most part can only store the operating system, so an external hard drive is a must if you want to store more than a few documents. SunnyTek has set the bar high with its mini mobile back plane external hard drive caddy, offering many useful feature and also carrying the title of the first mobile mini back plane currently on the market... ECS GeForce 9800 GTX+ Hydra SLI Video Card Kit @ legitreviews.com [Oct-14-08] (0 Comments) The ECS GeForce 9800 GTX+ Hyrda SLI kit is a very innovative product that brings together SLI and water cooling very nicely. The bundle comes complete with everything you need to get started and that is very important for a kit of this size. Coming with the full version of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 video game is a nice touch as it is a $20-$30 game and not too many graphics cards come with games any longer. Installation was so simple the directions didn't even need to be used, so this kit will get you into water cooled graphics cards setup with SLI in minutes... PowerColor HD 4870 @ techwarelabs.com [Oct-13-08] (0 Comments) Is your old video card just not cutting it anymore? Do you go to LAN parties or simply try to play single player games and lock up or find your game experience could be better? Its time to introduce to you, the Power Color HD 4870. Sure you have heard that this is an amazing card, but how amazing is it? Hang on for the ride as we find out what this card is capable of. Technic3D/Brothers in Arms - Hell's Highway @ technic3d.com [Oct-12-08] (0 Comments) Brothers in Arms - Hell's Highway PC Game from UbiSoft arrived Technic3D. Operation Market Garden was a real-life Allied offensive d esigned to destroy Nazi Germany before Christmas, 1944. The plan was a mbitious - it was largest airborne invasion in the history of the worl d. The plan was to capture a corridor through Holland to punch through the German lines. Paratroopers of the 101st Airborne and other divisi ons dropped from the sky in mid-September to seize and hold the corrid or by surprise. The surprise attack was a bust. Follow Matt Baker, Joe Hartsock and the rest of the 101st Airborne Division in Lian Li PC-A7010 All Aluminum Full Tower Case @ legitreviews.com [Oct-07-08] (0 Comments) The Lian Li PC-A7010 carries a whopping $295 price tag and is most definitely a high end case. With the time I have spent with the PC-A7010 I now know why some enthusiasts covet the Lian Li cases so much. The build quality is amazing, as it should be for an investment close to $300. The SATA backplane is a nice feature. It will clean up a lot of cable clutter and make things look very nice, even though it is hidden behind the case side... DFI exclusively shows us its LANPARTY UT X58 mobo @ tweaktown.com [Oct-07-08] (0 Comments) We visited Eric, Jarry and Jet at the DFI headquarters in Taipei today where they gave us an exclusive up-close look at a working sample of their forthcoming LANPARTY UT X58 motherboard.We got a look at the first revision of the board and sadly the new heatpipe cooler was not quite ready for us to take photos of. This board will get a similar made by Thermalright cooler as seen on older boards, but this time around DFI has decided to make the coolers themselves to try and reduce costs. It was mentioned that while the cooler will be similar, it will be improved by allowing users to use their own after market or custom cooling equipment or “weapons” as Jarry put it, whereas with other brand motherboards that is not always that easy to do. That did allow us to get an unobstructed view of the no fuss high-end enthusiast performance motherboard. Jarry Chang, the head engineer and designer at DFI, had some interesting points to make about the LANPARTY UT X58 and much of it made perfect sense. Everything You Need to Know About The Motherboard Voltage Regulator Circuit @ hardwaresecrets.com [Sep-17-08] (0 Comments) An in-depth explanation on how the motherboard voltage regulator circuit works, including components, phases and design. Raidmax IceCube SFF Micro ATX Case @ modders-inc.com [Sep-15-08] (0 Comments) The Raidmax IceCube is considered to be the mini version of theRaidmax IceBerg. The Raidmax IceCube is a SFF (Small Form Factor) casebasically designed to be a LAN party case. [News] Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) 2008 @ virtual-hideout.net [Sep-06-08] (0 Comments) This past weekend, my work schedule changed and freed up some time.On a spur of the moment change, we pillaged the Penny Arcade Expo also knownas PAX 2008 in Seattle, WA at the Convention Center. I must say that theevent seemed to be well organized. With the exception of the CC staff, thePAX crew were on the ball. This was my first time this year and it was actually pretty darninteresting. VH has been known to play a few FPS, RTS, RPG, MMORPG, and0MFGSW33T type games. (Diceman loves games that involve pure destruction andsurrounding mayhem.) We all may not get to play as much as we use to, butthe gaming industry still proves to be the vital force that motivates thelikes of Nvidia, ATI, and Intel to bring us faster Graphics cards whichfurther perpetuates the creation of better video games.If you weren't rubbing elbows with the game makers or testing out a soon tobe released game title, one could walk across to the Free Play area and hopon any one of the 150 Intel sponsored PCs to play a few rounds againstothers in a LAN. In total, there were about 330 players present. [Editorial] Google and Chrome - A Plausible Future @ thetechlounge.com [Sep-05-08] (0 Comments) Google wants to change the world. Knowing what they know and not doing anything with it is anathema. Being able to see what people want, how they think, all this is part of their intention to build something different. That isn't a bad thing, they're not out for control in a cravenly sense, and they aren't positioning themselves as a kind of benevolent dictatorship. And Chrome, in its simplicity, telegraphs their plan. Firefox replacement? Hardly. Microsoft replacement? Nothing like that. What Google is working on is an Internet replacement. Or rather, an alternative. Zalman CNPS9300 AT - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Sep-04-08] (0 Comments) Beautifuland silent coolers almost always come at a price, be it moneyor performance you will never find a cooler that's a looker, quiet andperforms well, all for a reasonable price. That said I have a coolertoday that professes to have all of these things, looks, goodperformance and low noise levels. But is this all worth the price?.Introducing the Zalman CNPS9300 AT. NZXT Tempest Crafted Series Mid-Tower Case @ pcper.com [Sep-03-08] (0 Comments) The NZXT Tempest mid-tower enclosure is a good looking case thatdelivers excellent airflow with minimal noise. The steel chassis issturdy and provides solid value. Nine interchangeable drive bay locationspermit a lot of flexibility and there is room inside for up to eight HDDswith active air cooling. Overall I like this case a lot and highlyrecommend it to anyone looking for a good balance between excellentfeatures and great value. Asus G70 @ bit-tech.net [Aug-28-08] (0 Comments) *In the end, the G70 isn't a bad laptop but it does suffer from being stuck in the middle a little bit. The hardware isn't really enough to blow your socks off and though the performance is adequate it does carry a few technical compromises. The design is effective, if a little polarising when it comes to eliciting a reaction from customers, but the cost balances this out easily and places the G70 awkwardly in the middle ground of the market where it can tread water in the sea of other gaming laptops ECS P45T-A Black Series Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Aug-26-08] (0 Comments) The ECS P45T-A is a fantastic price/performance motherboard and I have faith that it will continue to run at stock speeds until the end of time. This board is perfect for a budget gaming board, a secondary LAN board, or even an office workstation. Couple this board with CrossFire HD4850's and 4 gigabytes of DDDR2 and you are looking at a strong gaming platform... Tom Clancy's End War Interview @ bit-tech.net [Aug-26-08] (0 Comments) *While we were at i34 absorbing the unprecedented levels of geekery and hardware lust, we also had time to take in some of the many upcoming game presentations on offer, one of which was /Tom Clancy's End War/. M Festival and i34 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Aug-22-08] (0 Comments) TheUK isn’t known for massive industry events such as CeBit, but we dohold some fairly large LAN Parties and some small scale events such asthe M-Festival.This year, the M-Festival and the 34th i-Series of LAN Parties wereheld at the massive Stoneleigh Park, where two halls were being used(one for I34 and one for the M-Festival). Altogether, there were over2500 Gamers battling it out in various games (the UK’s largest everLAN) and some of the top leading brands such as Cooler Master and MSIshowcasing new products.2 weeks ago myself and Clickshot were sent along by the absent Whooptyto see what this was all about, here's our thoughts on this auspiciousevent. OCZ Vendetta 2 @ bit-tech.net [Aug-22-08] (0 Comments) *While the OCZ Vendetta 2 isn't silent, or the absolute best thermal performer, it strikes an excellent balance between them considering the £23 price tag. In fact, in some respects we think OCZ might be selling itself short at this price, or we'd happily pay a few quid more for some spare screws and gromits... and a new mounting mechanism. While it might not be up there with the big boys of the Thermalright Ultra Extreme 120 or Noctua NH-U12P in performance, /for the money/ there is very little able to touch the Vendetta 2's performance, both thermally and acoustically. ASUS Striker II NSE Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Aug-22-08] (0 Comments) The Asus Striker II NSE sports an attractive black PCB and very little color compared to many other boards. The black color lends to the overall classy feel of the board. With the first glance at the board, it is hard to miss the Fusion block system that cools the board. Asus has decided that hard core enthusiasts would like to cool off the North Bridge using their water cooling setups, and provided an easy way to do that by placing a water block on the North Bridge... What You Need to Know @ thetechlounge.com [Aug-21-08] (0 Comments) Walk into your local electronics emporium and look at the wall of screens. It's a beautiful sight. All of the displays look so wonderful, but where do you start? What do you need to know to find your perfect high-def match? Purchasing your first HDTV can be a daunting task if you aren't armed with the proper information when you enter the carnivorous den of your local electronics superstore. There are a couple of areas I'd like to focus on in this guide. The first thing to consider is the type of TV, and which is best suited to your viewing environment. This consists of the physical space the TV will occupy and any devices you plan to use with it will weigh heavily on your decision. Also important are the features and specifications that a new TV can offer. Buzzwords like 1080p, contrast ratio, HDMI, and 120Hz will be thrown at you as soon as you strike up a dialogue with a salesperson (or as they stalk you up and down the aisles). With a little preparation, you can be an informed consumer with the power to overcome jargon-filled sales pitches and, in the end, make the right decision for you. Suitcase turned into PC @ tweaktown.com [Aug-21-08] (0 Comments) Up on the bench today we have a special DIY workshop tutorial in building your own LAN party case on a budget. We take an ordinary cheap flight case and mount a full PC inside so you can truck it to and from the party with ease.With the case closed up and ugly-lid hidden away, we see that this unit doesn’t look half bad from the outside! - With no more weight than the components inside, this unit is easy enough to carry around to and from LAN parties. And I’m about to do just that... Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4850 TOXIC @ bit-tech.net [Aug-20-08] (0 Comments) *On the face of things the Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 TOXIC looks like a pretty poor choice for those looking to grab a budget graphics card. It finds itself in the no-man's land of being a good £30 more expensive than the cheapest HD 4850 cards on the market, and only £35 less than the cheapest HD 4870, which it trails by a good few FPS in most tests. Code of Honor 2:Conspiracy Island @ bit-tech.net [Aug-14-08] (0 Comments) The real problem with Code of Honor 2 isn’t the bad graphics,though those are the first thing anyone will notice. Poor graphics wecan cope with. Not every game has to have huge polygon counts and ProcedurallyGenerated Dynamic Mega-texture-awesomeness – but good games do have tohave something. They have to have a hook that can draw people in and makethem want to play more. Code of Honor 2 doesn’t have that.Utterly boring and bland and far too easy in the singleplayer game, aquarter-baked and shallow experience on the multiplayer side, Code of Honor doesn’t really do anything right and is doomed to soonreside in the bargain bin. There are two type of games to find in bargain bins though. There areold or unappreciated games that are still very much worth playing andthen there’s stuff that just couldn’t survive in a capitalist marketdue to a stunning lack of worth. If you’ve read the review this far andstill can't figure out which one we think Code of Honor 2 is then this is probably the game for you. ASUS Republic of Gamers Convention:Part 2 @ techgage.com [Aug-13-08] (0 Comments) The ASUS RoG Con is done and over with, so we take a lookback at whatmade the weekend so great. Depending on who you ask, the LAN was agreat success, with nobody leaving without some sort of swag in theirhand. But, there was so much more to it than just that. Will we seeanother? We sure hope so. Palit Radeon HD 4870 X2 1GB - AMD Reclaims GPU Supremacy @ techgage.com [Aug-12-08] (0 Comments) AMD has gone toolong without a real high-end graphics card to competewith the competition, but they're done with the pity, and prove it withthe HD 4870 X2, which becomes the fastest graphics card the planet hasever seen. It may cost more than the competition, but its endperformance easily negates that premium. ASUS Republic of Gamers Convention:Part 1 @ techgage.com [Aug-10-08] (0 Comments) There's anexciting event happening in Dallas that comes in the form ofa LAN party. Not any usual LAN though, as it's sponsored by some of thebiggest companies in the business, including the event leader, ASUS.While the Dallas heat sure isn't fun to deal with, the event more thanmakes up for it so far. Antec P190 + 1200 Mid-Tower @ techgage.com [Aug-08-08] (0 Comments) Planning a newbuild and don't know which chassis to choose? Does theidea of having a feature-packed mid-tower intrigue you? Well, the P190is just that, with its intuitive design and two pre-installedpower supplies, offering you a total of 1,200W of overkill pleasure. Isthe case a true winner? Not exactly, but it's still worth a look. Acer Aspire One @ bit-tech.net [Aug-04-08] (0 Comments) *There are some issues. Shoddy speakers and a trackpad that is more hand-cramping and difficult than doing the secret ant-man handshake with every ant in a colony are the main problems, but the Aspire One does a good job of overcoming them and still offering great performance and usability. It isn't quite perfect, but it comes damn close and is definitely the most attractive subnotebook we've seen since the Eee PC 701 first landed. Mercenaries 2:World In Flames P @ bit-tech.net [Aug-02-08] (0 Comments) *We've yet to have a chance going hands-on with /Mercenaries 2:World in Flames/, so we unfortunately can't speculate on what is likely to be one of the most important aspects of the game -- the controls and balancing. If the PC port ends up suffering from Sloppy Conversion Disorder then it could bring the only game crashing down. [Affiliates News] Thermaltake Toughpower Cable Management 650W (Report) @ aphnetworks.com [Aug-01-08] (0 Comments) Wow, time sure flies by. Precisely two months ago, I was stillsitting in a classroom, scribbling down notes and preparing for exams. Thenthere's the excitement of the stuff I have planned for the summer afterexams. And of course, I was often found at various car dealerships checkingout the latest releases (And of course test driving, which is just my excuseto redline cars) -- that aside, what I'm talking about is that I have thisThermaltake Toughpower Cable Management 650W modular power supply sittinghere at APH Networks for the last two months before I even started thisreport. Historically, I haven't been a big fan of Thermaltake power supplies.I owned quite a few of their cases, which were excellent. But the powersupplies, at least back in the days, were low in price but not really the'tier 1' performance that I'd come to expect. Generally speaking, this powersupply didn't capture much of my attention either due to my personalimpression. When I finally decided to open it and check what was inside overa month later, and did some research online, it seemed to me that theToughpower Cable Management 650W offered incredible performance across theboard. Was I surprised? Well, yes I was. Let's crack open this power supplyand take a look at the physical build of this Channel Well Technology builtunit in our report today.* Link:http://aphnetworks.com/reports/thermaltake_toughpower_cable_management_650w[1]* Image:http://aphnetworks.com/report/thermaltake_toughpower_cable_management_65...[2]Thanks for your support. Don't forget to send your site news tonews@aphnetworks.com [3] as well!Best Regards,JonathanAPH Networkshttp://aphnetworks.com [4]Add this newsletter issue to a newsletter by selecting a newsletter from theselect list.Send a newsletter or a test newsletter by selecting the appropriate radiobutton and submitting the node.Install Mime Mail module to send HTML emails. Mime Mail is also used to sendemails with attachments, both plain text and HTML emails. Tuniq Ensemble 1200W Power Supply @ bigbruin.com [Jul-29-08] (0 Comments) I expected the Tuniq Ensemble 1200W power supply to perform well after seeing what the 950W Tuniq Miniplant had to offer a few months ago, and my expectations wound up being exceeded. The unit ran cool and quiet, managing to provide stable power to the beefiest system I could put together while producing a trivial ripple of a fraction of one percent. Spire CoolFlow III - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jul-28-08] (0 Comments) Whenit comes time for an enthusiast to upgrade his or her processor,it's usually quite a momentous occasion. Lots of planning goes into theperfect choice of hardware, and it's not uncommon for a cooler upgradetoo; as faster usually means hotter. Therefore they usually go forsomething something much beefier than before – not one which lookssimilar to the stock Intel model. It’s odd saying that as today, we'vegot a Spire CoolFlow for review, which does, look remarkably similar tothe stock Intel heat-sink and fan. Let’s just hope it gives a boost inperformance. [News] VH Attends PDXLAN 12 in Portland @ virtual-hideout.net [Jul-25-08] (0 Comments) There are LANs. And, then there are LANs! This weekend, I had areally good time attending PDXLAN in Portland, Oregon. This is one of thelarger LAN parties that sold out on 500 seats. As a matter of fact, theytend to sell out every LAN event due to the really cool swag and prizeraffles. PDXLAN happens about every six months. If you think that's tooclose together, you're mistaken. The LAN even sells out every time andthere's always a packed hotel because of it. You get complimentary pizza andBawls energy drinks Saturday night, but can order pizza and pastas from thesame pizza parlor pretty much anytime for delivery. How's that for service? Hackers on Planet Earth 2008:'The Last HOPE' @ techgage.com [Jul-23-08] (0 Comments) The seventh HOPEconference was held this past weekend in NYC and I wasthere to take in the numerous talks. Such subjects covered were lockpicking, Wikipedia's evils, YouTube, FOIA, hardware hacking and a lotmore. Special talks were also given by Steven Rambam, Steven Levy, AdamSavage and Jello Biafra. Vizo Milano MIP-100 HDD Enclosure & Multimedia Player @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Jul-23-08] (0 Comments) The picture quality too is as good as, if not better than, the video recorded from my media pc, though I think it maybe not quite as good as DVD quality but it WAS a rip from a DVD so it would have been compressed and therefore cannot be as good. I played it on all outputs, composite, svideo and component and they all worked fine with component giving the best results, as you would expect. BlueAnt Wireless Z9i Bluetooth Headset @ legitreviews.com [Jul-17-08] (0 Comments) Overall, the BlueAnt Z9i is a very good headset. We found the noise cancellation to just slightly better than its older sibling the Z9. In a crowded and noisy room, the Z9i will definitely perform better than that of a normal everyday headset. The dual microphones that BlueAnt equipped it with will isolate your voice and suppress background noise. The Jawbone and Plantronics headsets will perform this function much better, but with a much higher list price. When it comes to noise cancellation we have found that you certainly get what you pay for... Corsair XMS3 DHX 1600MHz 4GB Memory Kit @ tweaktown.com [Jul-17-08] (0 Comments) Well before NVIDIA had any plans for DDR3, EPP or Extreme Performance Profile DDR2 memory was making its way into the mainstream. These modules were really designed to work with 680i chipsets, since any AMD solutions have the memory controller moved to the CPU, this eliminated any offerings NVIDIA can give.EPP has made its way into DDR3 with EPP 2.0; this being the DDR3 variation. Today we have Corsair’s monster 4GB DDR3 kit (2x2GB) supporting EPP 2.0. Let’s see how it copes. GelaSkins for DS and PSP @ gideontech.com [Jul-17-08] (0 Comments) There's always a balance between protection and style when it comes to your electronic peripherals. There are numerous cases on the market now to shield just about anything. From iPods to your camera, there's something for everyone. The only downside to it is that it's bulky and down right ugly sometimes. To combat this, there are now rubber or hard cases you can buy, but they still create unnecessary bulk when we're all trying to emphasize portability. Tuniq Miniplant 950w - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jul-16-08] (0 Comments) Withthe need for a steady and stable supply of power to fuel the most powerhungry of PCs nowadays, we are starting to see an increasing number ofpower supplies with high wattages that claim stability and silence aswell. One such product is the Tuniq Miniplant, which boasts animpressive 950W of power and was for a time the highest wattage PSU inthe 80+ category of standard PS2 sized units. Today I will be takingthis one for a spin to see just how efficient and quiet it really is. Interview with Alex Mei / OCZ @ techpowerup.com [Jul-08-08] (0 Comments) Alex Mei has recently been promoted to Executive Vice President of OCZ Technology. In our interview he shares interesting details about how he got into the Industry, also he talks about OCZ's past and planned future. For example DIY notebooks and the Neural Impulse Actuator. bit-tech :AMD 770X Motherboard Duel @ bit-tech.net [Jul-05-08] (0 Comments) *Sapphire has taken the same budget chipset, and surrendered > to its low cost nature. Bar the solid state capacitors, cost saving > steps have been made all over, from the reduced board size, resulting > in cramped SATA ports, to a simplistic cooling solution and an under > featured BIOS, the signs are everywhere that this is a budget board. > While no price has been confirmed for the AM2RX780 as of yet (we're > still waiting to hear back from Sapphire with final details and we'll > add an addendum once the price has been confirmed) its rumoured to > launch at £60. In its current state it would be difficult to recommend > at even £50, and compared to the AX78 seems very poor value unless > you're planning on building a CrossFire based PC. bit-tech :Battlefield:Bad Company @ bit-tech.net [Jul-05-08] (0 Comments) */Battlefield:Bad Company/ is a good game, but like all games > it does have some definite flaws that can hold it back.>> Focusing just on the good stuff, the singleplayer campaign is plenty > long enough and has got a decent, good natured and funny story behind > it which helps keep the plot ticking over nicely and holds the action > together.>> The characters of Sarge, Sweetwater and Haggard aren’t universally > likeable, but they aren’t horribly offensive either and there are > plenty of nice touches which help make them memorable and distinct in > a world full of samey stereotypes.>> The gameplay itself is arguably a little unbalanced, but that’s been > well hidden beneath the near-instant respawns and semi-regular > checkpoints. The multiplayer is a little bland and uninspired, but at > least there’s the promise that the DLC will fix this at some point.> * */> / *>> *Cheers guys!>> Tim Smalley> www.bit-tech.net bit-tech :MSI Wind U100 @ bit-tech.net [Jul-05-08] (0 Comments) *The MSI Wind is a good sub-notebook– nay, a /great/ > subnotebook. The build quality is solid and convincing, the design is > basic but all you need and the choice of hardware is perfectly > balanced with the exception of the HDD – which still does give you a > few advantages in terms of cost, capacity and modability.>> The Wind looks nice, feels nice and performs well even with the > slightly bulkier XP option. It’s got all the connectivity you’ll > really need, though the wireless card only supports slower > connections, and it’s easy to use. To the point, nice and simple – it > lives up to its name and /flows/.> /> / *>> *Cheers guys!>> Tim Smalley> www.bit-tech.net Alone in the Dark (PC) @ bit-tech.net [Jun-27-08] (0 Comments) Alone in the Dark is a game we really loathe to not like, butatthe end of the day we do have to admit that we don’t like it and thatthe game isn’t really all that great. It’s a real shame because we cantell that Alone in the Dark is actually a real good gameunderneath. The story in compelling, the presentation is gripping andthe gameplay itself mixes a load of styles together to make a finalproduct that is unique and interesting. Unfortunately, all of that potential is lost underneath a sea ofproblems on the PC version. The controls are unwieldy and awful, thegraphics regularly freak out and break, the game can’t decide what itis or how it wants you to play it and the balancing has got more holesin than the Incredible Hulk’s underwear. Instant-deaths and poor control schemes are really only the tip of theiceberg, but they do reveal the real problem beneath the ocean of minorgripes. Fixed camera angles and checkpoint saves? This is a consolegame, ported poorly to the PC and left to fester. On a console, we can see this game making a lot more sense and having alot more accessibility. This game was built from the ground up to beplayed with analogue sticks and that’s clearly evidenced by the manymini-games and woeful handling. On the PC though, the game is part oil,part water – and that mix just doesn’t work. We want to like it, we really do – especially since we had to go outand buy it – but the reality is that although the game may be good on aconsole, on the PC the experience is more infuriating than fun and issuited only to the survival horror hardcore. You know who you are. C&C Kane's Wrath Producer Interview @ bit-tech.net [Jun-23-08] (0 Comments) BT:Did you get anyfeedback from the fans on any specific things they wanted to seeimproved from Command and Conquer 3?JV:Yeah, absolutely. What we did find immediately was thatpeople didn’t think that the D-Pad was fast or comfortable enough toreally utilise in an RTS game. That was kind of the first thing wewanted to do – to try and find a new and natural evolution to theradial interface. And that’s kind of what the new interface does. Also, just in terms of the gameplay, a lot of people found TiberiumWarswas pretty tough and was very difficult on Xbox 360. With the newinterface though and with the game in general we think we’ve made iteasier by tuning the campaign a bit more and made it a better balanceof difficulty. Plus, a lot of the new units and the whole idea of just going back intime and looking at Kane and so on – all that was based on playerresponses. [News] Koolance CPU-340 Water Block @ virtual-hideout.net [Jun-22-08] (0 Comments) If it's a very clean, contemporary looking CPU water block you'relooking for that can easily cool your dual or quad core processor, then theCPU-340 is for you. And if you happen to need that little extra something togo along with it, take a peek at Koolance's arsenal including their newstuff. They have plenty of new pumps, radiators, and cooling blocks foreverybody. Dreamhack Summer 2008 Article @ rbmods.com [Jun-20-08] (0 Comments) Dreamhack is the biggest LAN Party in the world with up to 10000computers. The summer version that we are going to talk about today is notas big as the winter one. There was plenty to look at though as we went downthere the first day of the LAN alot of people were still arriving to theevent which was nice to see. They also have some companies showing theirlatest gear and this time we saw Asus, Mushkin, Steelseries just to mentiona few. Tom Clancy's EndWar 'voice-on' p @ bit-tech.net [Jun-19-08] (0 Comments) Besides, for every negative we can think of about Endwar wecan also think of one or two positives. The game is obviously a labourof love for many of the developers and it’s clear than an awful lot ofwork has gone into not just perfecting the admirable science behind thevocal recognition software, but also the balancing and technicalitiesof the game itself. There are still a few things which need to be cleared up to satisfy ourcuriosity – is the game part of an entirely new franchise Ubisoft arelaunching and will the game be staying as an Xbox 360 exclusive, forinstance. These are matters on which Ubisoft is keeping understandablya bit quiet on for the moment.Still, whether or not the franchise looks set to spore one thing iscertain for the moment and that’s that Real-time Strategy buffs are infor a definite treat when it comes to Tom Clancy’s Endwar.The game may still look a little bit rough and may be a bit on thesmall-scale side of things, but the game is very fast-paced and has adeceptive level of depth once you’ve got to grips with the voicecontrols and are able to order groups to take cover in buildings orunleash special abilities. Endwar is an interesting looking game and while it obviouslyisn’t going to be the definitive Tom Clancy experience by the look ofthings (that honour still lies with Rainbow Six), it couldcertainly be one of the most interesting console games of this yearregardless. Antec P182SE Special Edition Mid-Tower Case @ pcper.com [Jun-19-08] (0 Comments) The Antec P182SE Special Edition advanced super mid-tower case willcertainly appeal to a niche audience. If you like the clean lines andunique look that the mirror finished stainless steel front and side panelshave to offer then Antec's P182SE Special Edition may be the one of a kindcase for you! The P182SE is a relatively compact mid-tower chassis and yetstill provides 11 storage bays and is a big improvement over the originalP180. The three bundled 120mm Tri-Cool fans can be adjusted to deliver theright balance of airflow to noise thanks to the integrated speed controls. Zotac GeForce GTX 280 Amp! Edition @ techpowerup.com [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) Today NVIDIA launches their new GTX 280 graphics cards. Zotac as one of NVIDIA's premier partners has engineered a factory overclocked version of the GTX 280 which offers additional performance. Overall the Zotac GTX 280 Amp Edition is the fastest graphics card on the planet today, but also the most expensive. Asus Eee PC 901 First Impressions @ bit-tech.net [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) We like the Eee PC. It's small, it's lightweight, it'sperfectlybalanced - it's perfect for press trips; in other words when we need adinky little notebook to help us bring you the latest news and reviewsfrom events round the world. Also, at the same time, it runs Linux - which can't help but appeal tothe elitist geek in all of us. The nice folks at Asus know that we like the Eee PC as well, which waswhy they took the first possible chance to head down to the new bit-techoffices and show us the brand new model of the insanely popularsub-notebook. The Eee PC 901 is the latest in the Eee PC line and is fundamentallysimilar to the Eee PC 900 we revieweda few weeks ago, but with a handful of new features and software thrownin - including a new 1.6 GHz Atom Processor instead of the older,underclocked Celeron. On top of that swanky, sparkling new 45nm CPUchip, the Eee PC 901 also houses new Bluetooth support and Dolby SoundRoom on the XP versions, but unfortunately not the Linux like we havehere. The Incredible Hulk (Xbox 360) @ bit-tech.net [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) We expected The Incredible Hulk to be bad from theoffset, notout of some inherent bias but more to do with a realistic reflection ofthe past and the facts of the matter. On this front, TheIncredible Hulk didn’t disappoint us. It’s predictable, samey, bland and as by-the-numbers as any game ofthis type could be. The developers have got a checklist of all theusualerrors made on movie tie-ins and they’ve zipped down and ticked themall expertly. As a game it’s more shallow than a Paris Hilton-wannabeand uglier than the real-deal. But, at the same time, it is kind of fun to mess around with. And no,the Paris Hilton jokes stopped last paragraph thankyouverymuch.Elements of The Hulk’s character are captured very well and it’s quitebizarre to see that Sega has done a better job of capturing the wallclimbing experience than Activision did with Spiderman 3.Also, just because a game is shallow doesn’t mean that it’s bad – everyid Software game ever proves that, just about. Despite all the chinksin the armour and the fuzziness on the lens there is still a sense ofprogression that makes the game involving to play and aspects of theanimation do feel suitably kinetic and powerful. In the end, though Hulk can’t claim to be as good as themajority of the games out on shelves nowadays, he can certainly wipethe floor with Iron Man and the othercomic-movie-adaptation-tie-ins at the moment. HP's 2133 Mini-note sub-notebook @ bit-tech.net [Jun-13-08] (0 Comments) The HP 2133 Mini-note Linux Edition is an incredibly goodlooking pieceof kit, but is sadly a classic example of style over substance.Gorgeously designed and stunning to look at, the 2133 Mini-note seemsto have it all at first glance. The keyboard is perfectly sized and thescreen is bright and perky. It's so pleasurable to use that it couldprobably only be topped by an invitation to have a go on ajelly-covered bouncy castle with the half-naked celebrity of yourchoice. It's a bit disappointing then that this is all that the 2133 stands outfor. Throughout our time with the notebook it slowly dawned on us thatalthough the Mini-note wasn't a bad netbook, it certainly isn't thebest. While it does manage to tick most of the right boxes and doeverything it sets out to do, it just doesn't do those things as wellor as fast as other products. Price is a limiting factor too and the HP is in danger of puttingitself out of the market with the £350 price tag as the reality isalthough it looks like you're getting bang for your buck, all you'reactually getting is the appearance that that is what you get. In the end, the HP 2133 Mini-note is very much like the aforementionedcelebrity-endorsed jelly-castle adventure. It sounds good in theory,it's great while you're doing it and you're sure to have a lot of fun.When all is said and done though you’ll just be left slightlyfrustrated that the experience didn’t quite live up to yourexpectations. Also, it’ll be messy.As a netbook the Mini-note is OK, but there are better and fasterproducts on the market that would work out cheaper. Gigabyte Nan-Ping Factory Tour @ bit-tech.net [Jun-12-08] (0 Comments) Are you planning to pick up a Gigabyte GA-P45-DQ6? Over thecourse ofthis article, we'll show you where it was made as Gigabyte invited bit-techto one of its Taiwanese factories, allowing us to roam around itsfacilities.The Nan-Ping factory is about an hour out from Taipei City whereComputex was happening in full swing; it's one of four manufacturingplants that Gigabyte owns. The second is located in Ping-Jen in Taiwanand the remaining two factories are in China:Ning-Bo (just south ofShanghai) and Dong-Guan further south still. Nan-Ping isn't yourtypical expansive factory – it's almost as tall as it is wide, witheight huge floors offering 45,000 square metres of space for 1,200employees.The factory features eleven SMT lines (seventh Floor) providing 400,000motherboards, 300,000 graphics cards and 5,000 server products a month.There are also six lines of DIP and Testing (fourth and fifth floors)and four lines of packing all those motherboard, VGA and serverproducts up on the second floor.There are also two lines of whole system assembly for its OEM andretail business on the third floor and two lines for its mobileassembly unit (20,000 units per month) for Asia on the sixth floor. Intel believes that video encoding belongs on the @ bit-tech.net [Jun-10-08] (0 Comments) “When you’re encoding on the CPU, the quality will behigher becausewe’re determining which parts of the scene need higher bit-ratesapplying to them,” said François Piednoel, senior performance analystat Intel.Piednoel claimed that the CUDA video encoder will likely deliver poorquality video encodes because it uses a brute force method of splittingthe scene up and treating each pixel the same. It’s interesting thatIntel is taking this route, because one thing Nvidia hasn’treally talked about so far is video quality.“The science of video encoding is about making smarter use of thebits and not brute force,” added Piednoel.I asked Piednoel what will happen when Larrabee turns up because thatis, after all, a massively parallel processor. I thought it’d beinteresting to see if Intel would change its tune in the future once ithad something that had the raw processing power to deliver similarapplication performance to what is being claimed with CUDA. Intel saidthat comparing this to a GPU is impossible, because the GPU doesn’thave full x86 cores. With CUDA, you can only code programs in C andC++, while x86 allows the developer to choose whatever programminglanguage they prefer – that’s obviously a massive boon to anyone thatdoesn’t code in C. Age of Conan:Hyborian Adventures @ bit-tech.net [Jun-09-08] (0 Comments) It’s always a painful and futile experience to try reviewing anMMO.For instance, there are problems with credit cards and the inevitablefact that we forget to cancel the subscriptions after the review isdone, therefore inadvertently charging a couple of hundred pounds tocompany credit card. Most of all though, the review very quickly runs out of date as thegame is constantly updating and how much anyone enjoys the game ismassively dependent on the calibre of gamers they end up gamingalongside. That means you’re going to have to take any conclusions weoffer with a pinch of salt – ok? Just so we’re clear.That said, Age of Conan is a lot of fun once you get intoit – the proviso mainly being that you do have to make an effort to getinto and jump over the initial few hours of boredom. Game designers seem to be labouring under the impression at the momentthat MMO games as a genre have only one aim; to topple World ofWarcraftas Lord of the Pings. To do this, they seem to think that you need acertain gimmick or hook – PvR gameplay or genre blending MMOFPS actionfor instance. So far, that tactic doesn’t seem to be doing to well – soit’s refreshing to see that Age of Conan bucks the trend andinstead focuses on creating just a solid and persistent world to playin. Age of Conan:Hyborian Adventures doesn’t bring anything hugelynew to the table and the only real gimmicks it has going for it are thefranchise behind it all and the fact that you can’t take two stepswithout faceplanting into the second biggest pair of boobs you’re everlikely to see. It’s a fun and accessible RPG though, and on that frontit can’t be faulted. Thermaltake Bigwater 760i Liquid Cooling System @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-05-08] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has made water cooling easy with the Bigwater 760i 2UDrive Bay Liquid Cooling System. This system is internal and fits nicelyinto two empty drive bays in your case. This system has everything that youneed to get started, even coolant and tubing. This is the first watercooling system that I have ever built and found it quite easy and fun toinstall. This system provides many nice features even the water cooling guruwould find attractive. Read on further to find out what they are. QNAP NVR-1012 Wireless Network Surveillance Kit @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jun-05-08] (0 Comments) The age old saying of Far Cry 2 hands-on p @ bit-tech.net [Jun-04-08] (0 Comments) Now admittedly we were a little disappointed that our plan toincinerate the ramshackle huts had failed so early on and that we hadhad to fall back and rely on Warren’s help, but the process actuallyhelped to prove how great Far Cry 2 is when it comes to providing anemergent experience and an arena for players to experiment in andcreate their own stories.This, if anything, would seem to be Far Cry 2's speciality –it just refuses to be consistent in any aspect of the game design.There are a few hard and fast rules which make the game worldconsistent with how we think the world should be – wind that blows,fire that spreads, wood that splinters – but that’s about it. The restof the game is different every time you play it because the details arealways changing. Put simply, when it’s the case that the direction that the wind isblowing in can change your entire approach to a mission then you knowyou’re in for a hugely open and vastly replayable gaming experience. Far Cry 2 may yet have problems we haven’t uncovered and grantedthat a single mission is no basis on which to judge an entireunreleased game – but if we were so foolish as to do judge in that waythen Far Cry 2 is one game that we’d definitely get veryexcited about. Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 X2 ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jun-03-08] (0 Comments) So why not just get two 3870s and rub a little CrossFire into your box? There are two reasons, really. For most people, that's just not an option. Dual-PCI-Express can easily tag a Benjamin onto the price of a motherboard, and, in Micro-ATX land, it's a mythical beast that visits overclockers in their dreams. And there's another thing: regular 3870s get the lower-binned GPUs--the faster-clocking chips go into the X2s. But, lastly, the 3870 promises something else:tri- and quad-CrossFireX. But that begs the initial question:now that the release is behind us, how much awesome stuck to the HD 3870 X2, and how much washed away? Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Headset @ legitreviews.com [Jun-01-08] (0 Comments) The comfort level of the Discovery 925 is incredibly nice. After finding the right size to wear, you start to wonder why manufacturers haven’t come up with a similar design yet. A friend of mine who has small ears and has always had problems wearing “in-the-ear” type of headsets was able to fit the Discovery 925 with no problems at all. It doesn’t matter if you are left-ear or a right-ear Bluetooth wearer, you can switch between ears with ease. Some headsets like the Jawbone require you to physically change the hardware for this basic switch. After using the 925 for a few days, there is no way I want to go back to the “ancient” fit of an ear hook like the Jawbone or “deep in the ear canal” of the Gennum. These headsets are great performers, but their fit is not as comfortable, free and versatile as the 925... VIA Nano Processor P - Isaiah Gets Official @ pcper.com [May-29-08] (0 Comments) If all goes as planned, the adoption rate for VIA's new processorshould be swift as the CPU is pin-to-pin compatible with any motherboardplatform built for the VIA C7 processor and uses the same bus technology andchipsets. This is something that Intel's Atom line of processors basedaround Silverthorne definitely cannot offer. Not only that but the VIA NanoProcessor and accompanying platform can support many features that Atomleaves behind like full speed PCI Express buses. Mass Effect (PC) @ bit-tech.net [May-27-08] (0 Comments) Mass Effect was already an awesome game, that much we knew. Itwas so good in fact that it managed to sneak its way in to our Top 10Games of 2007. The question is though, has it got any better since then?The answer to that isn’t easy, but mainly that’s because there aren’tthat many differences between the two versions. There are some positiveenhancements to consider like the new hotkey features and a smootherinterface, but on the other hand these are balanced out by an awfulminigame and the fact that all these changes feel insubstantial andtacked on – where are the new quests and weapons?The deciding factor then, due to a lack of extra content, should bewhether or not the game can win through on the merit of being on the PC– does the actual input of mouse and keyboard make the game better onPC? The answer is yes, but not enough for it to make a big difference.Mass Effect is an utterly absorbing, massive and enthralling game. Assoon as this review is done we’re going to go play it some more and ifyou’re a PC RPG fan who hasn’t got the Xbox 360 version then this isdefinitely a game you’ll want to pick up, but the PC version doesn’t doenough to push ahead of the Xbox 360 original and in the end the twowill have to settle for being equals. Travagans Colors Portable Headphone Amp @ techpowerup.com [May-27-08] (0 Comments) Travagan's Colors is the name of a brand new portable headphone amplifier. It is much smaller than most normal portable amps and only costs $59. The design is quite outlandish since it resembles a dog bone. The question is of course how does this little thing stack up against some of the bigger portable headphone amps. Lenovo ThinkPad X300 Series Notebook @ tweaktown.com [May-26-08] (0 Comments) The X300 notebook has an Intel Core Duo SL7100 (1.2GHz, 4MB L2, 800MHz FSB) CPU. The monitor is a 13.3” WXGA+ TFT (LED backlight). There is a 3x3 UltraConnect II which is a connectivity suite offering wireless LAN, UWB (UltraWide Band), Bluetooth and numerous wireless WAN choices including a system that utilizes native GPS functionality that is built into the X300. The hard drive is unique in that it is a solid state drive (SSD) 64GB in size. What this means is that the hard drive is not a rotating disk in the traditional sense, but rather comprises of several chips with addressable memory arrayed in a specific format to prolong the usability of the SSD drive. Koolance CPU-330 Water Block @ legitreviews.com [May-23-08] (0 Comments) The Koolance CPU-330 is very nice looking, with the anodized finish and gold plating it looks as good as it functions. With an average street price of $50 the CPU-330 is just a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of a custom water cooling loop. As an upgrade to the 760i we saw small gains for that $50; it cost 1/3 the price of the 760i kit. Was the cost worth the gain? Chaintech GeForce 9600GT OC 512MB @ tweaktown.com [May-21-08] (0 Comments) Chaintech have really expanded from the line of graphics cards, now doing products like memory and flash products as well. What they no longer do however are motherboards. It wasn’t all that long ago we were impressed with fancy cooling solutions and the general performance of Chaintech products. We’ll have to see if the 9600GT is able to do anything for us. >From first glance the Chaintech offering didn’t do a lot for us, but upon throwing it in our system we where pleasantly surprised with what happened. Before we get into that though, let’s find out what they’ve done with the package and have a closer look at the actual card. Jetway's JNC62K (GeForce 8200 mini-ITX) motherboard @ bit-tech.net [May-20-08] (0 Comments) At under £90 including VAT, the board is certainly good valuefor its size and niche appeal. A good mini-ITX board can easily set youback £150, and usually an Intel mini-ITX board will need to add thecost of a CPU as well. While this doesn't have the grace of a few otherHTPC-orientated mini-ITX boards we've seen (Albatron's AMD 690G withcomponent outputs was especially nice), unless you can find an AMD 780Gbased one we suspect this could make the smallest possible Blu-raycapable machine you can buy (we'd love to see some mods around this).45W or 65W AMD CPU's are exceptionally inexpensive, and literallyanything you buy now will be HD-capable. Yes, the GeForce 8200 did havea fit at VLC and it used nearly 50 percent CPU, however Elephants Dreamis one probably of the most intensive 1080p DivX videos out there sothere's still plenty of overhead before things become a slideshow.If you're unconcerned with size and are interested in IGP performanceinstead, the GeForce 8200 guns ahead into the distance in our realworld general productivity benchmarks compared to the other IGPs—eventhe AMD 780G on the micro-ATX Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H board. However ifyou're buying for video playback performance then the AMD 780G is stillthe one to buy – it's just simply more consistent and quite frankly,AMD still continues to do video acceleration better with more intuitivedrivers and a more consistent UVD-enabled product list.Specifically, is Jetway’s JNC62K worth buying? Absolutely. While it'snot as inexpensive as a micro-ATX board, it is still great value forits size if you’re looking to build a very small home theatre PC. Allin all, it's a very low power and tiny motherboard with HDMI and DVI(with HDCP) and oodles of other features that vary its application. Iteven has a comprehensive BIOS that really surprised us – you'll rarelyfind this elsewhere on mini-ITX, however you wouldn't really want tooverclock on it because of its 65W limitation.Is it worth it over a VIA C7 EPIA or future Atom mini-ITX boards?Again, yes! Just for the general productivity performance alone,regardless of the fact a premium VIA C7 board like the Jetway J7F5M,which comes complete with a 2.0GHz C7, for £163.33 will be moreexpensive than the JNC62K and an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4850e 45W CPU, andyou won't even get HDMI or HDCP.The JNC62K is the right balance of efficiency – getting your work donein the minimum amount of time, while using a fraction of the power (andphysical size) a full ATX case labours you with. [News] EXCLUSIVE:VH Visits the Intel Hawthorn Farm Campus @ virtual-hideout.net [May-17-08] (0 Comments) Over the last couple years, I've been attending various LANs andtech events looking for that other side we rarely get to see. InfernaLAN isjust one of the many events sponsored by INTEL and wide variety of vendorsand integrators including Patriot Memory, Corsair, BFG, S3 Graphics,IBuyPower, PowerPC, and Alienware. It was here that I met many of Intel's finest incognito. These guys taketheir personal systems as seriously as any enthusiast, cooled with thelatest DangerDen water cooled blocks and assembled in some of the sweetestcases created by man. I thought that if they are this much fun and caredenough about what they do to show off all these demo systems, then I reallyneed to see what it is they do.Well, a couple weeks after, I received a call with an invitation to visitIntel's mysterious Hawthorn Farm Campus where much of the desktopmotherboard and processor magic happens. The dates were picked, testhardware assembled, and the tour schedule set. Battleforge Interview:Volker Wertich @ bit-tech.net [May-14-08] (0 Comments) BT:You said“the Battleforge series” just then – does that mean you haveBattleforge 2 planned already?VW:Heh, well since Battleforge is an online game we havea longer life than other games and we’ll continue to work on the gameafter release. We will continuously release new maps, new cardadditions. Depending on the success of the game we may have a very longlifetime or a shorter life time, obviously.That said, we have sequels in mind and our game-plan goes over intoyears. BT:Now, Battleforge is a card-based RTS, but from what I sawearlier it looked very similar to a traditional RTS in that you’recreating units in a normal way and putting them down. How exactly doesBattleforge differ from a standard RTS game then?VW:Ok, so the thing is that the cards can be anything. Avehicle, a room – anything. What it is though is a collectible itemthat you own, ok? A virtual collectible item that you personally own.Having a card lets you then produce those units in a match.You then take twenty of those cards and form a deck that you take intobattle. The deck directly defines any unit, spell or item you take intoa game.Of course, this is a real-time game too. So, as soon as you produce aunit or play a card you have access to these new units which you cancontrol like you’re used to in a normal RTS game. In other words, the cards define your tech tree. Everglide DKTBoard Gaming Keyboard @ techpowerup.com [May-13-08] (0 Comments) The Everglide DKTBoard is an incredibly sturdy input device, intended for the hard core gamer. A very compact size, partial aluminum construction and backlight make it perfect for LAN parties. DFI's LANParty LT X48 T2R motherboard @ bit-tech.net [May-12-08] (0 Comments) For a DDR2 board thegaming performance is very good, outperformingeven the Nvidia nForce 780i SLI board in all of our gaming tests. Itcan't keep up with the DDR3 boards, but buying 4GB of DDR2 is still afraction of the cost of even 2GB of DDR3 – that alone will offersignificant headroom for games as well.It is more expensive than its X38 brethren and you'd be hard pressed totell the two apart if they were standing side by side. However, if youwere concerned about price you'll probably want to wait for the P45launch anyway. It's not power friendly either, but DFI has neverclaimed to even care – it's not about the latest bandwagon, it's aboutbeing true to its core, of which it does in spades. The incrediblenorth bridge heatsink and its simple interchangeability is no greaterexample of this – you're free to replace it with anything you likebecause they are no heatpipes. If you love your DFI boards then you'll be onto a winner with theLANParty LT X48 T2R – everything you need out of Intel's X48 chipset isprovided and there's a lot of fun and time investment to be had withit. After talking to BIOS engineers and others in DFI's QA team, thelimitations we've been finding are essentially chipset level andthere's plenty of beta BIOS out there to try on DFI communities thatonly add to its true, core-enthusiast appeal. However finding theseplaces and knowing who to ask isn't the most obvious thing on earth –DFI should fill its manual with more BIOS details, overclocking tipsand support forum links for new DFI owners can dive into. This Bad Company interview with Jamie Keen @ bit-tech.net [May-11-08] (0 Comments) BT:You’resick of talking about premium content, I bet. But it was kind of agutsy thing to do, you have to admit.JK:<sigh> Yeah. BT:So, I guess – why did you try to do it? And why with thisgame especially?JK:Yeah, so…I think the thing that people need to remember isthat development costs on games these days are huge. So we always needto look at new revenue streams. It’s not just a question of trying torip people off and it’s not just us trying to put one over on people –we genuinely need to y’know…well, at the end of the day it’s abusiness, right? We have to recoup costs and we have to make money. So, there are those kinds of things happening. You’ll probably see moreof that in the years to come. We’ve got nothing more planned at themoment, we’ve listened to the customers and the community is reallyimportant to us. We really want to maintain that two-way dialogue withour fans. So, we’re not going to be doing anything – I mean, we’re givingConquest away as free downloadable content later on. The weapons arenow going to be free – we just hope that the fans see that we’relistening to them. In Win B2 Stealth Bomber Case @ rbmods.com [May-07-08] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at the InWin stealh bomber case and as the namereveals is inspired from an airplane. Inwin has been in the case market fora long time and they have now started to focus on designed cases which youmight see if you take a quick look at their website. We are going to belooking through this case in tonights review and we will also show you themain feature this case has which is a motorized front door. [News] Tuniq Miniplant 950w Power Supply @ virtual-hideout.net [May-05-08] (0 Comments) Tuniq has recently come out with a new series of power suppliescalled the Assassin's Creed:Director's Cut @ bit-tech.net [May-05-08] (0 Comments) Viewed from one angle Assassin’s Creed:Director’s Cut ishonestly a little disappointing. The PC version doesn’t really addanything all that new, doesn’t make the most of the platform andcarries over many of the flaws of the original game. The Director’sCut doesn’t offer any new content except for the new investigations,and these aren’t really all that great. But the game is still quite good.The thing we really like about Assassin’s Creedis how good it is for creating player stories. The open sandbox stylemeans that players can make their own tales in a way that makes thegame great to talk about. There was the time I killed the Mad Doctor of Acre by climbing somescaffolding, assassinating an archer, and climbing down in to thecourtyard of the hospital. I leapt from a nearby chandelier and plungeda knife into his throat, escaping through alleyways with the aid ofsome vigilantes and scholars. It’s wonderful and deliciously emergent,going a long way to address complaints of repetitiveness.In a nutshell, the verdict lies in a balance of these two opposingviewpoints. Is Assassin’s Creed good? Undoubtedly – but the Director’s Cutisn’t a massive improvement over the original. You may well love thenew version more than the original, like we do, but the route of thatpreference won’t be because the game is markedly better on PC. It’ll bebecause your PC is markedly better than a console. Navigon 2100 Max GPS @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Apr-29-08] (0 Comments) Dramatically-dropping cost is perhaps thebiggest driver of GPS popularity since youcan now buy one for $149 US, although low-endmodels are hard to recommend. In GPS Land,three companies dominate sales-and no, Sony,Samsung and Panasonic are not among them.Garmin, TomTom and Magellan own 80 percent ofthe market while others like Navigon aretrying to claw their way into the top ranks.That said, we recently were sent the Navigon2100 Max off to our testing labs to determineif it deserves to be considered a top-tierunit. Now let's take a drive. Antec Mini P180 mATX Case @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-24-08] (0 Comments) Antec is never stopping with the introduction of new cases. If seemslike every 3 months or so there is a new case to drool over. That new casetoday is the tiny brother case of the P180 which is simply labeled the P180Mini. The Mini carries many of the features of the P180 but in a smallershell. The only thing that is lacking is the spacing of the P180. But thecompartments and cable management systems remain in place. But what the Minihas over the regular size P180 is lighter weight and somewhat portability.It is definitely one for the person that is lacking room to house a biggersize tower but is it one for the LAN goers? This is what we will find out. Wii Fit @ bit-tech.net [Apr-24-08] (0 Comments) I say this a lot, but it really is hard to know what to thinkabout Wii Fit.On the one hand it’s obviously great. The hardware has a lot going forit in the future and is just as clever as everything else in the Wii.It’ll help get lard-arses off the couch and on their feet and even ifyou aren’t into fitness then the game itself is still fun for a littlewhile. Yet, on the other hand the balance board is quite expensive, it isstill just another collection of minigames at the most basic level andthe reality is that those lard-arses will play the game every day forabout two weeks at most before going back to exercising their drinkingarm. Sure, that last part is grumpy as hell, but it’s also true. There’sroom for movement, but the vast, vast majority of people willvociferously defend themselves and pledge to play the Wii for hoursevery day – only to let themselves off because they had a hard day atwork. I know. I’m one of those people. Judged on fun and ingenuity, Wii Fit gets top marks. Judged onlongevity and value though, the game suffers horribly at our admittedlygrumpy hands. The decider then goes to the future of the balance board and whetherthe hardware can prove itself useful in upcoming games. If the supportis there then the game and the hardware will flourish – but otherwiseit may end up as ugly and uncomfortable as the Zapper. LiveWires T1 Custom IEMs @ techpowerup.com [Apr-23-08] (0 Comments) LiveWires T1 is the name of some new custom earphones that cost about half of its main rivals. They are built exactly to fit your ear with additional customization options like colors. These in-ears use two balanced armatures and play in a completely different league compared to whats usually available in this price segment. ViewSonic VX1940w 19" widescreen monitor @ bit-tech.net [Apr-21-08] (0 Comments) Clearly the ViewSonic VX1940w is not a mass market monitor thatwillconvince the mainstream hordes to ditch their 22-inch panels. But itcould be extremely attractive for a few niche markets and for thoseable to divert their attention away from simple screen acreage.Obviously, it's a great solution when space is in short supply. Nodoubt LAN gamers will appreciate the combination of high detail, speedypixel response and compact, travel-friendly dimensions. It also makesfor a very nice low-profile secondary display with decent resolution,perhaps to compliment a large 30-inch primary panel.Of course, the VX1940w will be fighting a largely losing battle againstsimilarly-priced 20- and 22-inchers for the attention of buyers lookingto maximise screen size within their budget. And frankly, for mostusers we wouldn't give it a blanket recommendation over such models.But we are glad ViewSonic has decided to add it to the mix and offersomething a little different. War for Visual Computing:Why AMD Could Have the Best Chance @ pcper.com [Apr-17-08] (0 Comments) Of the three companies in this debate today, Intel, AMD and NVIDIA,only one is balanced in the vision that both NVIDIA and Intel supposedly seefor the industry. AMD has both a CPU and GPU that are competitive intoday's market; not leaders in any definitive way but right up there nonethe less. Thanks to the acquisition of ATI by AMD nearly two years ago thecombined organization seems poised to capitalize on the shifting dynamics inthe designs of both processing dynamics. And much of what Intel and NVIDIAare doing today is actually validating what AMD has done over the past 24months. Thermaltake Toughpower 1500W PSU @ bit-tech.net [Apr-16-08] (0 Comments) It's difficult to ascertain the value and the worth of 1,500W –whileThermaltake makes the only one worth buying for far less than the veryfew competitors sell for, the value of 1,500W is certainlyquestionable. Even if we wanted to kit out the baddest rig under thesun, we'd still opt for other units on the market. After all, if youthink you need one you're already splashing out several grand for thebest hardware on the planet, so at least complement it with somethingthat’s as super high end. Condemned 2:Bloodshot @ bit-tech.net [Apr-10-08] (0 Comments) When you get right down to it though, these are all minorconcerns at best and Condemned 2:Bloodshotreally is an excellent game that flies in the face of common gamedesign and thrives off what makes it different. At a time when everyoneelse is making open-ended, sandbox games all about huge gunfights andso on, Monolith has made a fantastically scary and enthralling gamewhich makes a point out of being linear and claustrophobic. The level of blood and guts is sure to scare many people away, butthere’s an audience for that stuff too and it’s that gore-loving crowdwhich will perhaps love Condemned 2 the most, though beneaththe surface there’s actually something for everyone. At times puzzling and at others utterly pant-filling, Condemned2:Bloodshotwill shred your nerves, baffle your brain and exercise your sweatglands all in turn, making it clearly one of the most accomplishedsurvival horror games we’ve ever played despite the uncomfortablemultiplayer. Forget the flaws, dim the lights and up the volume forsomething that we can, unfortunately, only describe as 'pant-cackinglyscary'. bit-tech :Lancool Metal Boned K7 @ bit-tech.net [Apr-05-08] (0 Comments) For us, there’s a lot to like about the Metal Boned K7 – even including the rather unique name, which has somehow managed to grow on us like some sort of all-conquering fungus. [News] Penryn and Bone Trail at InfernaLAN @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-02-08] (0 Comments) Now, a little bit on the motherboards using the processors. The twolatest motherboards to support Penryn are the Bone Trail and Skull Trail.The BT is a single socket platform, while the ST is a dual socket. Themotherboards get powerful chipset upgrades including DDR3 and XMP BIOSsupport. So, the boards now fully support DDR3 and 1600MHz Front Side BusXMP profiles for some crazy overclocking. This is good news for users with1333 and 1600MHz DDR3 memory since a simple, quick BIOS setting instantlybrings your system's extra power online. Gigabyte iSolo 210 chassis @ bit-tech.net [Mar-27-08] (0 Comments) There’s basically two ways to look at the iSolo 210 and itdepends ifyou’re a glass half full, glass half empty or an “I ordered acheeseburger with my drink” kind of person. On one hand, you could say that the Gigabyte iSolo 210 is a little dulland uninspiring – certainly not as cool as my word association gamesmay have convinced me it was. The inside of the case is very muchby-the-numbers, the performance is solid but not truly outstanding andthe same is true with the noise performance. Then you can look at it the other way. You can say that this is abudget end chassis, that the case follows the standard designconventions for a reason and that the performance for the case ispretty damn good. You can say that the exterior of the case is prettysnazzy looking and that there’s plenty of room for modding. This is theview we’re leaning towards here, though we don’t really like the windowall that much and we’d do away with the tool-less system if we could. Now you’ll have to excuse us – our glass may be half full, but we stillhaven’t got our cheeseburger yet... DDR3 with both EPP 2.0 & XMP support "is possible" @ bit-tech.net [Mar-24-08] (0 Comments) Terry Groth, a Product Marketing Manager at Crucial Technologyhas revealed to bit-techduring a conversation at this weekend's i33 LAN party that making DDR3memory modules that support both EPP 2.0 and XMP is definitely possible.However, Groth later added that having modules supporting both Nvidia'sand Intel's extended memory performance profile standards Frontlines:Fuel of War @ bit-tech.net [Mar-23-08] (0 Comments) If I was to say that Frontlines:Fuel of War disappointed methen you¡¯d probably get the wrong idea, so I won¡¯t say that. But itkind of did. You see, Frontlines isn¡¯t a bad game at all. It¡¯s actually quite a good game.There¡¯s a good balance to everything and the game alwaysmakes it possible to salvage victory from the jaws of defeat if youhave a good understanding of where to put your tanks and helicopters.If you get a group of people working together then it can take on anenjoyably military feel, especially with the inclusion of artillery andairstrikes.However, with the history behind Frontlines of theboy-wonder modders who¡¯ve struck the big time, we have to admit we werehoping for something a little more interesting. Kaos Studios is adeveloper built on a team of amateur modders from outside the industry,so the logical if misplaced hope is that bringing them within theindustry could lead to a few interesting and new ideas. But that hasn¡¯t happened. Instead, the result is that Kaos has usedtheir knowledge of how games are played to create a well-balancedshooter. What they haven¡¯t really done is introduce any fundamentallynew ideas. There¡¯s nothing here to set Frontlines apart from any other game like it on the market ¨C infact, it feels very, very similar to Enemy Territory:Quake Warspretty much all the way through. So, while the game itself isn¡¯t flawedin any major way, it doesn¡¯t really do anything to stand out in thecrowd either. DFI LanParty UT ICFX3200-T2R/G Intel LGA775 Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Mar-19-08] (0 Comments) Back when Socket A, and later Socket 939, were the preferredplatforms for enthusiasts, one motherboard company emerged as the king ofoverclocking, DFI. DFI's LanParty boards had it all:colorful UV reactivecomponents, excellent BIOS conducive to overclocking, rock-solid stability,and excellent reliability. Today we will be looking at the DFI LanParty UTIFCX3200-T2R/G. It is an LGA775 motherboard powered by the ATI RD600chipset, and featuring ATI CrossFire Xpress 3200 IE. This board has beenaround for some time but is still available, and at an excellent price, Imight add. So rather than spend time comparing it to newer boards with newerchipsets that cost up to triple the price, I am going to attempt to reviewit on its own merits, and look at it more as an economy board rather thanthe upper-end board it was a year ago. Griffin Elan Form Cork iPhone Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Mar-13-08] (0 Comments) Griffin makes all kinds of products for iPods and the iPhone. AniPhone is quite an investment for most people, usually people do not spendmore than $150 on a phone. I have seen so many people drop phones and havethem break. I'm pretty sure if you bought a brand new $400 iPhone anddropped it you would be very upset, so why not protect your phone with acase. So many iPhone cases are the same but the Elan Form Cork case offerssomething different and unique. Lancool Metal Boned K7 @ techpowerup.com [Mar-13-08] (0 Comments) The Lancool brand is created by Lian-Li and combines the flawless, understatement exterior with the sturdy bones of steel. This makes for the name BFGTech GeForce 9600 GT OC 512MB @ bit-tech.net [Mar-12-08] (0 Comments) After some careful analysis of the changes, it doesn’t appearto makemuch sense spending any more than about £120 on a GeForce 9600 GT now,because at that point the stretch to £140 isn’t too far away. BFGTech’sGeForce 9600 GT OC is currently sitting at around £115 includingdelivery (if you take advantage of Scan’s free delivery offer forregular contributors to the bit-tech community) – at that price, it’snot a bad deal but I do have some concerns.For out-and-out gamers, I have no problem recommending BFGTech’sGeForce 9600 GT OC 512MB graphics card – it delivers strong performanceat a good price point for those that cannot afford to stretch to £140for a GeForce 8800 GT. The ten year warranty is also a good peace ofmind if you’re planning to use the card as a family (or even apersonal) hand-me-down, where it makes its way into older systems asand when you upgrade your main machine. However, if you are looking to use the card in a home theatre PC, thebundle is missing both the DVI-to-HDMI converter and S/PDIF cable,which means that you won’t be able to connect the card to your HDTV andcarry audio over the HDMI cable at the same time. Of course, you canacquire the required parts elsewhere, but that’s at an extra cost thatyou can avoid by purchasing another GeForce 9600 GT that doesThat ultimately prevents us from giving the card an outrightrecommendation, but that’s not to say there aren’t users that shouldlap up this card at its current asking price. Just be aware of itslimitations if you were hoping to use it in an HTPC. Dark Messiah:Might and Magic Elements @ bit-tech.net [Mar-10-08] (0 Comments) Up until now it’s mostly been pretty good news for Dark Messiah– not fantastic news perhaps, but good enough. However, there are stilla few little problems with Dark Messiah that might prevent itfrom reaching the loftiest of heights. For starters, the game is just a little bit buggy and laggy at times.We never had our Xbox 360 crash, but there were more than a few timeswhen we had clipping bugs and ended up underneath the ground. Theframerate would regularly plunge too, getting stuttery whenever therewas a bit too much going on on-screen – like the first time you face aCyclops. The framerate problems are probably the biggest issue we’d have with DarkMessiah:Elementstoo and framerate drops are something I honestly just can’t tolerate ona console game. When you are aiming for specific hardware then there’sno excuse to let your game get into a framerate dropping scenario.Aside from that, the game’s major fault is that despite the changes andtweaks it doesn’t actually do all that much above and beyond the PCversion – it’s just rebalanced and with a few new levels slapped in.There’s nothing wrong with that at all—Dark Messiah:Elements isperfectly alright—but it was never going to bowl us over, not with theengine starting to show its age. NVIDIA Comments on Ray Tracing and Rasterization Debate @ pcper.com [Mar-07-08] (0 Comments) Reality intrudes into the most fantastic ideas and plans. Virtuallyall games and professional applications make use of the modern APIs forgraphics:OpenGL(tm) and DirectX(tm). These APIs use rasterization, not raytracing. So, the present environment is almost entirely rasterization-based.We would be foolish not to build hardware that runs current applicationswell.Ray tracing may be the future of rendering-it's definitely part of thefuture at least. There is an old joke that goes AblePlanet Clear Harmony Headphones @ techgage.com [Mar-03-08] (0 Comments) When we met AblePlanet at CES, their Clear Harmony noisecanceling headphones really caught our attention. Their built-in noisecanceling circuitry is intended to reduce the infiltration of ambientnoise, but can they stack up sonically against some serious competitionwithin their price bracket? Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. G Type @ techpowerup.com [Feb-29-08] (0 Comments) The Apevia X-Jupiter Jr. is a very cool looking case at a very low price point. This means you can expect a flashy exterior with a traditional interior, making it a great budget LAN party case. The case comes features a door with integrated LCD temperature display and is available in a wide range of colors. Performance Mainstream Graphics Update @ bit-tech.net [Feb-28-08] (0 Comments) There are a lot of great products in the performance mainstreamsectorthat all appear to hit price points that are so finely balanced thatit’s hard to quantify which is better value for money. Indeed, it wasone thing that cropped up during my initial GeForce 9600 GT testing andit was what prompted me to write this article.Could it be thatthere are maybe too many good products in this segment? On one front,this is obviously a good thing for the consumer, but has it got to thestage where the consumer is actually left in uncertain waters becausethere is no definitive answer to the ‘what graphics card shouldI buy?’ question. Tuniq Miniplant 950W Power Supply @ bigbruin.com [Feb-28-08] (0 Comments) The Tuniq Miniplant 950W power supply winds up being interesting for not being particularly different. The Miniplant name may be misleading since it isn't smaller than normal, but just standard size. With so many high powered power supplies being sold with oversized housings, getting one of these units into your case may be hit or miss. With the Tuniq Miniplant you know that if a standard ATX power supply will fit, that this 950W unit will fit, too. [News] Rosewill RX81-MP 3.5" e-SATA Enclosure @ virtual-hideout.net [Feb-21-08] (0 Comments) External options still seem to be the best because of all thosefactors. Millsy has been checking out some huge back planes from Thecuswhich are perfect for the hardcore data fiends. Smaller scale users tend tobenefit most from single and dual drive external enclosures. These includeUSB 2.0 and eSATA enclosures like the Rosewill RX81-MP Storage Enclosure.Why eSATA you ask? Read on see the two versions compared. Advergaming and Other Horror Stories @ bit-tech.net [Feb-21-08] (0 Comments) Virtual worlds are also a popular target for advertisers. In SecondLifea number of companies have purchased land within the game to establisha permanent presence. You can buy products from retailers like Nike andAmazon. Apparently Starwoods Hotels and Resorts built a digital replicaof a hotel they were planning to build in real life to see the reactionfrom people. You have to wonder about this logic though – if companiesthink they can garner useful information from people's online choicesthey may be in for a nasty shock, after all, gaming is about escapismand most people frequently do things in games that they would never doin real life.There are all sorts of fantastical predictions about the amount of adspending there will be in future games, but so far despite claims itwill reach $2 billion by 2011 it remains far short of this target.There's a suggestion that this revenue could be worth $1 per game topublishers – which is certainly enough to catch their attention. StillI think I'd be willing to spend an extra $1 on the game to get itwithout advertising. Personally I don't mind advertising when it'sbundled into something free as they have to pay for it somehow but whenyou are already paying a premium price for something it’s cheeky tojust bombard your customers with adverts regardless. Zalman ZM-NC2000 Notebook Cooler @ techpowerup.com [Feb-21-08] (0 Comments) The Zalman NC2000 is a notebook cooler made of a solid aluminum sheet and black plastic bottom. Two fans cool the entire underside of the notebook and can be manually adjusted as well to find the perfect balance between cooling and fan noise. Altec Lansing UHP336 In-Ear Earphones @ legitreviews.com [Feb-18-08] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing's SnugFit design does indeed provide great noise isolation to the user. As we used our various MP3 players from Apple and Cowon, we found the UHP336 to be one of the better headsets we have had in our ear. For me personally, I wanted better base response for the hea dphones and was annoyed by the amount of adjustment I had to keep making to hold the headphones in the =93sweet spot=94 of my ear canal. This is most likely due to the weight of the headphone and cord... Universe @ bit-tech.net [Feb-17-08] (0 Comments) Universe at War:Earth Assault isn’t going to be to the likingof all RTS buffs and those who prefer historically themed or moreserious flavours of strategy games will most likely have already foundthe way out. However, Universe at War does have some excellentlybalanced gameplay going for it and the interface is beautifully setout, proving always helpful and never a hindrance. Does the game have problems? Certainly. The graphics in cutscenes are abit lacklustre, the game did prove to be very CPU intensive when wegathered a lot of units together on screen and at times even our newmighty gaming rig had to suffer a bit of slow down and the field ofview is quite limited too. In fact, the FOV is probably the biggestproblem – not being able to zoom out very far really limits thetactical options available to players when the larger robots or HabitatWalkers lumber on-screen.That said though, Universe at War has a lot going for it,so if you can look past the campy B-movie plot and stomach somesemi-awful voice acting then you may be pleasantly surprised at whatyou find beneath the rubble. Asus Z7S WS Skulltrail Motherboard Exclusive Sneak Peek @ hothardware.com [Feb-16-08] (0 Comments) =93The Asus Z7S WS features dual LGA771 sockets that support Intel Xeon 5000,5100, and 5300 series processors of both the dual and quad-core varieties.The Z7S WS is built around the Intel 5400 and ESB2E chipset and supports1600MHz / 1333MHz / 1066MHz / 800MHz front side bus speeds, it has sixFully-Buffered DDR2 DIMM slots, and a pair of Marvell 88E8056 Gigabit LANjacks with teaming functionality. The Asus Z7S WS' expansion slotconfiguration consists of two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, one PCIe x16 slot with anx8 electrical connection, and single PCIe x1, PCI-X, and PCI 2.2 slots. Thedual x16 PEG slots are a differentiating factor for the Z7S WS becauseIntel's D5400XS only supports PCI Express 1.1. =93 NZXT Rogue mATX Gaming Case @ techpowerup.com [Feb-15-08] (0 Comments) The NZXT Rogue is a very unique case. It combines the portability of a cube with the possiblity to install large graphic cards and high performance power supplies. A carrying strap is also included, to make carrying the black or silver cube - featuring either blue or red LEDs - to and from a LAN party as easy as possible. Ultra m998 Mid-Tower ATX Case @ pcper.com [Feb-14-08] (0 Comments) The overall construction and build quality is good and the simplelines and black anodized finish provide a nice background for highlightingall your internal goodies (visible through the large side window). Thanksto its slightly larger size, the m998 can easily accommodate a large PSU,extended ATX motherboard and it comes with 11 drive bays. The two bundled120mm fans provide good airflow and can be supplemented with an additional80mm fan on the side window if desired. And if you plan to floor mount thisenclosure you will certainly enjoy the optional (included) caster wheels. Lian Li Lancool Metal Boned K10 Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-14-08] (0 Comments) Our review of Lancool Metal Boned K10 case, a strong three-bay case with internal body made of steel and all external panels made of aluminum and manufactured by Lian Li. Technic3D/Terratec Noxon 2 Radio for IPod @ technic3d.com [Feb-14-08] (0 Comments) The Terratec Noxon iRadio 2 for iPod arrived Technic3D. The NO XON iRadio 2 is also a network audio player that lets you enjoy the mu sic on your hard drive anywhere in the house. All of its functions can be controlled with the remote or using buttons directly on the device . WLAN standards and encryption types are supported. See you in the following Review which qualities the Noxon iRadio 2 with Apple iPod pr esents Hands-on P @ bit-tech.net [Feb-13-08] (0 Comments) I actually got a chance to speak to some of the marketingpeople recently and I quizzed them about the future of Spore– pressing on whether we could expect to see a slew of new content onshelves soon after release. The reply was a stark awakening to thebrilliant reality of Spore in that I was treated to a kind of “Idon’t know” answer and an explanation of how that wouldn’t work with Spore.You see, in The Sims, new items can’t be easily created and theexpansions can consist mainly of new furniture and so forth. In Sporethat doesn’t hold true and the future of the game seems to be groundedmore in adding new tools to the game through expansions – ways toexport and import creatures to Photoshop or Maya 3D. It’s not enough tosimply give people a new building or two, because those can always bemade by the community. To me, this attitude perfectly expresses how important Spore will be. Frankly though, even if the game doesn’t prove to be as redefining as Ithink it will be, then it’s still shaping up to be a fantastic game andclearly shows how even the most complex of tasks can be accomplishedwith enough persistence. Spore does have flaws in some regards and it’s plainly obviousthat most players aren’t going to enjoy parts of the game. Personally,while I loved everything from the Creature Stage onwards, I did findthe first part of the game—the Cell Stage—to be a little tiresome andpointless. I’ve nothing against simple arcade styled games at all, butthere are titles that do that better than Spore. Spore’s strength though lies in that the game overcomes thepersonal loves and hates of certain people and frees players uptotally. You can do almost anything you want with the tools on offerhere and the game is totally open to let players skip to the parts theywant. If all you want is the micromanagement and sense of control thenCivilisation Stage is there for you from the get-go. [News] Thermaltake DuOrb VGA Cooler @ virtual-hideout.net [Feb-12-08] (0 Comments) The foot print of the DuOrb is much smaller and lighter than thestock heat sink which is always a nice result. And, the DuOrb does lookbetter adding a bit more flash to a pricey graphics card with a somewhatboring stock cooler. Unfortunately, the included video memory sinks areplain gray, aluminum. This doesn't do the cooler justice and steals away abit of its potential. Matching copper sinks would definitely compliment theDuOrb better and keep the look more balanced. The Thermaltake DuOrb VGACooler is otherwise a good performer and would make your 8800 seriesgraphics cards stand out. Due to the limited designs of stock VGA coolers,it's nice to have a better option made from copper. If you need bettercooling and your current card configuration just can't keep up, give theDuOrb some consideration. Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator headset @ bit-tech.net [Feb-09-08] (0 Comments) The Razer Piranha is a worthy follow-up to the Razer Barracuda insomeregards, though not in others. While the sound performance is clearlyabove-average at worst and the design is interesting to look at, myexperience with the Piranhas turned out to be almost as painful as anencounter with some Pygocentrus nattereri. The other insurmountable problem to get over with the Piranhas is thestaggering cost of the headset – £53.39 in the UK or $69.99 in the US!At those prices, I’d personally demand a little bit more than thePiranha is offering. When it comes down it, the Piranha is a half-decent headset withexcellent bark, but awful bite and if you’re wondering why I’m using adog-based metaphor instead of a fish-based one then I’m afraid I can’treally offer an adequate explanation – maybe something fishy is goingon... Actiontec MegaPlug AV200 Mbps Ethernet Adapter @ techgage.com [Feb-07-08] (0 Comments) Looking for an alternative solution to a wireless LAN ordrilling holes in the walls for a clean wired connection? The ActiontecAV200 might be of interest, with the ability to create a network usingthe power sockets already in your house. As it turns out, it'seffective, and incredibly easy to set up. Halo 3 and The Art of Repetition @ bit-tech.net [Feb-06-08] (0 Comments) Let’s take Halo 3, and, before I actually say anythingabout Halo 3,I should make a disclaimer digression. I had put up some articles aboutrepetition in games on my blog, and how I felt that repetition issometimes a good thing (more on that later), and may have implied thataspects of the Halo 3 campaign could have benefited from somemore repetition, and I ended up with some comments that went somethinglike this:“Variety is the spice of life. Games with repetition suck. Your gamewill suck and no one will play it.”Now, I think I’ve played through the Halo 3 campaign about halfa dozen times. I love the game—I even pre-ordered it. I enjoy fanboyspeculation about Halo’s association to Marathon.While this does not make me an expert in all things Halo, I think it atleast gives me license to critique and comment. So I say:fanboys,stand down!hat out of the way, the critique goes like this:imagine you areplaying through Halo 3for the first time. You play as the legendary saviour of humanity, whoplays it cool while expertly wielding a massive arsenal to mow downwave after wave of baddies. However you have a somewhat foggy idea ofwhere to go next, what a missile pod does, how all of those crazy newitems work, the feel of a Spartan laser, and so on. So here’s themismatch:in cut scenes, the Master Chief is extremely cool andconfident, but under the control of the first time gamer, the MasterChief is suddenly acting like some bewildered idiot, fumbling withbubble shields and flamethrowers.Games like Marathon and BioShock succeed instorytelling because the main character can be a bewildered idiot. In Marathon,you’re a space marine who lands on a colony ship with very little ideaof what’s going on, when suddenly aliens start attacking and AIs startfighting over you. BioShock is roughly the same story—you landon an underwater city, things start attacking you, and greater powersstart fighting over you via the radio. You’re a dummy with a big gun,and everyone knows and is willing to exploit this fact. Home Theatre PC motherboard shootout @ bit-tech.net [Feb-05-08] (0 Comments) If you're after a system today, we'd still go for theinexpensive MSI K9AGM3-FIH. It's a perfect interim solution becauseit's very cheap and comes with a good balance of features. There'salso the fact that the AM2 CPU will drop into an AM2+ socket should youwant to get one of the newer IGP boards coming in the near future, asthese are all likely to feature full-HD video decode offloading.Everything you need is there and while it's not perfect, the videoquality on offer is acceptable.We're genuinely surprised at the outcome – we didn't ever expect theAMD 690G to last anywhere near this long as our preferred choice,however the MSI seems to have got it right with its K9AGM3-FIH as itremains the best solution for the time being. Technic3D/Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 @ technic3d.com [Jan-31-08] (0 Comments) The Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 CPU Heatsink arrived Technic3D. Ho neycomb structure for optimized air flow and Manual fan speed Controll er Adapted. See you in the following Review the Apack Cooler with 120m m fan against others CPU Cooling. Akasa revo Bubble Pump cooler @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Jan-30-08] (0 Comments) OK, so what I can understand is that the Revo works by having a mix of coolant in the ‘cooling-loop’. Part of the coolant is liquid and part of it is a liquid that expands to a gas under the heat of the CPU (and cools back to a liquid when it passes through the radiator). There is a mini reservoir in the base of the cooler, and as the coolant gets hot it moves up the big pipe, and the resulting convection system moves it all around the cooler. The coolant that changes to gas creates bubbles in this loop and these help move the liquid round (somehow). OnAir USB HDTV-GT Mobile ATSC/QAM TV Tuner @ viperlair.com [Jan-30-08] (0 Comments) Unlike satellite or cable HD, OTA HD is fully uncompressed. What this means is the picture quality should be better than subscription based HD. The downside of uncompressed HD is that if you have plans of recording this type of video, be prepared to have a lot of disk space used. the included OnAir software, a mere 10 second capture used up 25MB of disk space, 30 seconds eating up 57.3MB. For a 60 minute show, you'll probably use up about 9GB of space. However, the picture quality is simply amazing. Let's just say with LOST premiering tomorrow night, it's going to be quite an experience. R680 Has Landed:ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 Tested @ David Altavilla [Jan-28-08] (0 Comments) =93AMD officially launched their new high-end flagship graphics card today and Apevia X-Telstar Junior case @ bit-tech.net [Jan-27-08] (0 Comments) Our first reaction to the displaywas one of quiet surprise andhappiness. It’s bright and full-coloured, proving readable from variousviewing angles so that you didn’t have to look at it head-on. We turnedthe knob of the fan controller and the display reacted straight away.Thereare three dials on the display and though all of them are pretty small,they are still perfectly legible at a glance. The dial in the bottomleft monitors how noisy the case is, the bottom right is for fan speed,the top displays system voltage and a figure in the middle lets youknow the internal temperature according to the Apevia probe.It’s actually quite good, until you look closely anyway. Raidmax Sagitta 2 PC Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Jan-25-08] (0 Comments) The Raidmax Sagitta 2, the new second edition of the originalSagitta, offers a number of aesthetical as well as design improvements. Thisstylish case will certainly stick out at the LAN party scene. Gamers alikewill be asking you where you got this pimpin' case. This isn't one of thosecases that are great on the outside, but not so great on the inside. TheSagitta 2 has a number of features that help separate it from the pack. Thisreally isn't your every day gaming case. Let's take a look to see why itisn't your typical gaming case. Tuniq Miniplant 950watt Power Supply @ tweaktown.com [Jan-23-08] (0 Comments) Enter the Tuniq Miniplant, a 950 watt power supply that is aimed at those who want that extra kick for a performance level system. There are, however, many high-end power supplies currently on the market so our goal is to help you determine if this product is capable of putting out quality power in your own system.This particular unit produced some of the highest voltage levels I have ever seen. Though nothing is at a range that would be detrimental, rest assured that you will have power to spare with this beast. Add to this the standard sized footprint and we have ourselves a very impressive power supply. The Rules of Game Design @ bit-tech.net [Jan-23-08] (0 Comments) One of the new features we’ve launched lately on bit-tech hasbeen guest columns. That is, columns written by developers and industryinsiders on a rotating monthly schedule. We’ve had stories and thoughtsfrom every corner of the industry, including budding indie developerslike James Silva and writers for established studios, like Simon Halland Rob Yescombe. After reading Simon Hill’s latest column,which talked about difficulty balancing in computer games and why hethinks computer games have got progressively easier, I got thinking.The more I thought about the topic, the more I decided I wanted to dosomething about it – partly because I’m a pretty heavy gamer and I likemy games to be worth the effort, but mainly because I'm just a noseybusy-body.As I looked into the issue though, the more my mind raged with examplesof how games had changed for the worse over the years – how simpleconcepts that had once been core to the design of every game were nowbeing forgotten or dismissed. The rules that had governed and createdthe Golden Axe Age of Gaming were now no longer beingobeyed.Naturally, being a bit of presumptuous so-and-so, I decided to shove mynose in and take Simon’s complaint to the next level. Thus, I presentwhat I think are the cardinal rules of game design. First look at the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) @ bit-tech.net [Jan-22-08] (0 Comments) Even though wehave seen an MSI motherboard being used with an AMI EFIBIOS last year, we have only now have been informed that MSI has beguntrialling more motherboards kitted out with EFI BIOSs.Richard Stewart, UK Marketing Manager at MSI told us that “MSIwill start to phase EFI into its next generation motherboard platform,and will allow much easier accessibility of motherboard BIOS systems.The ability to use a GUI and mouse can only encourage users to attemptto unlock the full potential of today’s modern motherboards. Even atthis early beta stage we have seen excellent OC potential using currentgeneration of MSI motherboards.”From the looks of things, everything should become far more intuitive –pictures can finally accompany text for example, which will help togive users a more fundamental understanding of what doors each of theuser’s required options are hidden behind.Given the necessary LAN and Internet connection, in addition to theusual Core Centre hardware tweaking, MSI is planning to enable manymore features in its EFI BIOSs, including a live update option, alongwith instant messaging and streaming audio/video capabilities. Sanyo Denki A11H Online UPS @ techpowerup.com [Jan-22-08] (0 Comments) These days, computer equipment is more sensitive to power disruptions than ever before. The Sanyo Denki A11H is a true on-line UPS that provides constant power to multiple computer systems, and its design allows it to work well with backup generators. We take a look at a 700W tower-style model and the optional LAN Interface card. BGear b-Envi SFF Case with Touch Sensitive Controls @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-21-08] (0 Comments) At first glance the new b-Envi from BGear looks to be just your plainand average SFF case. But once this puppy is lit up the controls are out ofthis world. The touch sensitive control are something that no other case hadbefore, but after the introduction of the b-Envi that could change. Besidestouch sensitive controls, the b-Envi also has a removable motherboard traythat will aid greatly in the building process. Yeah, there are a few morethings the b-Envi has to offer but you have to read the rest of the article. Conflict:Denied Ops - hands on @ bit-tech.net [Jan-19-08] (0 Comments) The PC game looked the worst of all, as if it had been washedout andreduced to a blander version of the original. At first we attributedthis to low settings or a dodgy screen, but a little prying when nobodywas looking revealed that everything was maxed out correctly. Theoptions menu boasted per-pixel lighting, HDR, high texture qualitiesand heat haze shaders – all toggled up to the highest settings. Yet, the PC version still looked a bit ropey despite the increasedframerate. In the end, it’s clear that Conflict:Denied Ops is asolid, if uninspired, shooter that has a few problems still holding itback. However, since these flaws mostly centre on the balancing withinthe game’s mechanics, they should prove relatively easy to fix beforethe game is released.Conflict:Denied Ops sets out to be a casual FPS game suitablefor light play and fun-times, not for hardcore appeal and longevity,and in that respect it’s very close to succeeding at what it sets outto do. If a casual FPS game is the type of thing you think you might beinterested in, or if you regularly find yourself having a few beers andflipping on the Xbox for some split screen fun, then Conflict:Denied Ops may well be a game you want to keep an eye on. BlueAnt X5 Stereo Bluetooth Headset @ legitreviews.com [Jan-18-08] (0 Comments) The BlueAnt X5 Stereo Bluetooth Headset is designed for not o nly those Bluetooth devices that support the A2DP Profile natively, but t hose audio devices that you want experience wirelessly. BlueAnt incorpora tes a small dongle that can be used with any 3.5mm jack to bridge the sou nd between audio device and X5 headphones. With a retail price of $149, B lueAnt tries to deliver a complete package to the user and prepares them for almost any situation one can think of. How well does the BlueAnt X5 s tack up against the Motorola and Plantronics? Read on... Foxconn X38A Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Jan-17-08] (0 Comments) The Foxconn X38A motherboard offers everything you could want out of an Intel X38 Express chipset based board. After you get past all the standard X38 features such as dual Lan, HD audio, PCIe-Gen 2.0, the board goes the extra mile of adding in dual ram compatibility. This lets you t ake advantage of great DDR2 prices right now, with the added piece of min d of future upgradeability when DDR3 prices stabilize. When you factor in that this comes at no apparent cost to performance, you can't really a sk for more... Gaming in the real world @ bit-tech.net [Jan-16-08] (0 Comments) A question that’s often asked is how much of what we mightexperiencein a real life situation is reflected in those games that claim to beas close to real as possible? Having spent most of my working life in the Armed Forces and spendingmost of my spare time fragging in ‘realistic’ 3D environments, Ibelieve I’m in a position where I am pretty qualified to answer thatquestion. So, bearing this in mind, I thought I’d put metaphoric pen topaper and see if I could come up with an answer. In fact, I plan to explore the blurring of realism in the gaming worldin a series of articles as this particular subject is one that is closeto my heart.The quandary facing the games publishers has only become more apparentas gamers have become more demanding for perfection and more realismthanks to more advanced graphics. Should the publishers make a gamethat is a reflection of fact or one that is based on perceived fact? Toexplain this, we will be talking about one of my favourite genres:theFirst Person Shooter and, more specifically, ones that use history orcurrent events to set the scene for the action. Getting the most out of your Eee PC @ bit-tech.net [Jan-15-08] (0 Comments) I've been using the device fairly heavily for a few of weeksnow andoverall I've been really impressed with it. It's light, small andsturdy and has a great feature set for its price. It seems perfect fortrain journeys, with its quick boot up time and almost precisely theright size for sitting on chair-back tables seen on planes and trains.Not even my old X-series ThinkPad could manage that.One man's meat is another man's poison, and certainly many people willbe put off by the 800 x 480 display resolution and lack of Bluetooth.Word on the street is that the new Eee PC will sport a higherresolution screen, and as much as I'm now used to the smaller screen –most websites are designed for 1024x768 screens, so this will be awelcome addition. The keyboard is a little tricky to get used to, andeven now I constantly find myself pressing “up” instead of “shift”, and“2” instead of “1”. But for around £220, it still offers amazing valuein my eyes.The operating system is based on Xandros Desktop 4, which is in turnbased on Debian Etch. Asus has changed a few things in the install, soit's not 100 percent compatible with Xandros, but it's very close. Ifyou're a bit of a Linux fan, you might feel like just wiping the driveand installing EeeXubuntu, or Eeedora. However, I like to think of theEee PC as a single function device, rather than a fully-fledged PC.It's got an OS that is designed specifically for that hardware, and itworks well. Changing to a different OS is a recipe for lots offiddling, slower performance and a much greater chance of things goingwrong.As new updates come out, they are rolled out using “Add/RemoveSoftware”. As Asus knows the OS is identical on all their machines, itmakes rolling out such updates a lot easier – this has already pushedout an update for Skype 2.0 during my time using the Eee PC.The OS built into the Eee PC feels a lot like using a Psion device –simple and speedy. You can get a virtual tour of the OS here.With FireFox, Thunderbird and OpenOffice installed as standard, I feelright at home as this combination of software is what I would be usingon any Windows or Linux platform. The OS isn't perfect though, so in this article I'll be showing you afew of the things I've changed to make the Eee PC feel more like a MePC. Microsoft @ thinkcomputers.org [Jan-13-08] (0 Comments) Microsoft was a strong presence at CES 2008. Its booth was one ofthe largest, and much of the space was devoted to companies using Microsoftproducts in their own products. While the Redmond, Wa. giant didn't unveilany new technologies or products at CES, it did show off some of its recentreleases. Windows Home Server and the new Zune revision were present, as wasOrigami 2.0, Microsoft's upcoming revision of its UMPC software. Thermaltake Armour+ case @ bit-tech.net [Jan-12-08] (0 Comments) On the one hand the case is (and I’m finally just going to comeout and say it) pretty ugly. At the same time though it performsdecently in the thermal performance tests, has plenty of room in it andalso is incredibly beefy in terms of the amount of hardware it canhold. But it’s pretty ugly. And noisy. When it comes down to it though, it’s obvious that only a certain typeof person is going to be interested in the Armour+ - those who reallyenjoy showing off their over stylised cases at big LAN events. It’s all about the e-peen. The ThermalTake Armour+ is a good case and ticks nearly all the boxes,but for me personally it is let down by a horrible look, bizarre doorswhich really, honestly, confound me and the fact that it’s a bit toonoisy. Factor into that the price as well, realising that for £20 lessyou could get a far classier and quiter case like the Antec P182 ($60less in the US) and the ThermalTake Armour+ is a bit less overwhelming.Still, it’s a decent enough chassis I suppose, so if you can look pastthe noise or if you happen to think that the design is actually quitesnazzy then you may do well to big one up before the design stopsevolving and just goes extinct instead. Vizo Milano 3.5" Media Hard Drive Enclosure @ aphnetworks.com [Jan-11-08] (0 Comments) In the digital home, there are many ways to play media that's physically located on your computer on your home stereo system. From the classic method of using a high end sound card such as the Asus Xonar D2 (Or an Asus Xonar U1 if USB is your only choice), to using a Slim Devices Squeezebox to stream media using a network, the possibilities are endless. One to add to this combination is the Vizo Milano. This unique hard drive enclosure allows you to simply pop in a hard disk drive, and the enclosure does the rest. It supports digital out to your receiver for audio, and hooks up to your TV using major analog formats to play video and display pictures. It even comes with a remote control! Will this media enclosure change the way we play digital files on home theater setups? Let's have a detailed look at the Vizo Milano media player and hard drive enclosure today. How to write... a strategy game @ bit-tech.net [Jan-09-08] (0 Comments) So, in this third instalment in my now re-focused and lessselfishseries I'm going to be looking at Real-Time Strategy games and try tosee how they are written, what stories they can tell well and how theymay change in the future. Helping me out along the way is MagnusJensen, lead designer on the fantastic World in Conflict. World in Conflict is an especially interesting game to use for acase-study since it basically re-wrote a lot of the rules for howstories are told and what stories are told in RTS games. In a time whenmost titles in the genre are still using talking heads or, at best,acted-out FMVs between missions, World in Conflict used amixture of scales to engage players. During gameplay players will befighting in battles which determine the course of a war, but in betweenyou'll be embroiled in the much more claustrophobic side of the war =96up close with the troops, exposed to their personal battles. What goes into an RTS game? Do well-known authors like Tom Clancy bringanything worthwhile to a developing title and can any RTS game win ourhearts without Joe Kucan? Enough with the questions! It's time foranswers! Tuniq Ensemble 1200 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Dec-28-07] (0 Comments) And for those that are fortunate enough to be able to afford such asystem, Tuniq has a new PSU that may be right up your alley. Tuniq is nostranger to constructing highend air-coolers but are also in the business ofproviding high-end power supplies. A couple of weeks ago we bought theMiniplant from them but today we will be showcasing their lastest offering.A 1200 watt mammoth entitled:Ensemble. The number 1200 is not the reallything that makes the Ensemble special but also the fact that is boast anefficient rating of 87%. All these numbers are enough to make you wander, sosince you are wandering lets take a closer look at the Ensemble. AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition and Overclocking Test @ pcper.com [Dec-27-07] (0 Comments) Performance actually scales pretty nicely with the clock speedincreases, but we have to wonder how much better it would have been if theNB portion was able to be clocked higher than 2 GHz. If I was willing to doa bit of hex editing on the motherboard BIOS, then I would have the abilityto increase that multiplier. However, myself and the vast majority of usersare not exactly comfortable messing around with the BIOS at such a low leveland potentially bricking their motherboard. Vizo Milano Enclosure & Media Player @ techpowerup.com [Dec-26-07] (0 Comments) The Vizo Milano Multimedia enclosure plays back all your favorite multimedia files stored on the internal hard drive on your TV at up to 1080i resolution. The ease of use and complete cable set make it a very interesting choice for everyone wanting to not only store these files but also have them at their immediate disposal when needed. Zalman VF1000 LED & RHS88 Coolers for the GeForce 8800 @ pcper.com [Dec-25-07] (0 Comments) The Zalman VF1000 LED VGA cooler and RHS88 heatsink combination isan excellent cooling solution for NVIDIA 8800 series graphic cards. Itsignificantly lowers the key component temperatures, even when running theintegrated 80mm fan at a relatively low speed for quiet operation. TheVF1000 LED/RHS88 is a compact, single slot cooling solution and iscompatible with SLI configurations. Both coolers come with everythingneeded for installation and the bundled Fan Mate 2 speed controller offersgreat flexibility for finding just the right balance between performance andnoise. Technic3D/Techsolo TMN-620 @ technic3d.com [Dec-18-07] (0 Comments) The Techsolo TMN-620 External Hard Drive Enclosure arrived Tec hnic3D. Network Attached Storage (NAS) and USB 2.0 for 3,5 [News] PC-Doctor Service Center 6 @ virtual-hideout.net [Dec-17-07] (0 Comments) How many of you out there are, at this very moment, reading thisreview using a friend's computer or your PC at work because your own PC...ummm... is fubar? In today's review, we've laid our hands on something veryunique that may just be the cure for your computer's failure:the PC-DoctorService Center 6. This PC toolkit includes the most widely used PCdiagnostics on the planet. Message-ID:MIME-Version:Thread-Index:Content-Language:X-Authenticated-Sender:Cc:X-BeenThere:X-Mailman-Version:Precedence:List-Id:List-Unsubscribe:List-Archive:List-Post:List-Help:List-Subscribe:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Sender:Errors-To:User-Agent:X-Face; @ overclockersonline.net [Dec-15-07] (0 Comments) During the last few months of using this monitor, it has truly been aluxury - 22 inches of viewing area, brilliantly vibrant color and ultracrisp images, what is there not to love? Answer, not much besides thelimited tilt capabilities, the SyncMaster 2232GW is a solid monitor.Overall, the SyncMaster 2232GW is a beautifully designed monitor which iscapable of delivering top notch graphics and all at a reasonable price. LUMINA by Design_Master - scratch built acrylic case mod @ bit-tech.net [Dec-14-07] (0 Comments) I discoveredthe art of modding two years ago and I started to testmany materials, including acrylic. Immediately, I was impressed withits strength, its incomparable luminous reaction and moulding capacity,allowing me to create pieces of nearly any size or shape. It was enoughto convince me that acrylic was the best choice for my future projects.Obviously, to reach the desired technical level, I had to perfect theskill of cutting, paring, polishing and moulding. I learned these byvisiting the factory installations of a friend of mine, who is myacrylic supplier. Through the observation of big machines, I learnedthat I could recreate the same effect (in reduced scale) by usinginventive manual techniques. This is my way:To be able to reach aperfect execution level that looks nearly manufactured, but by usingonly the usual manual tools, specific methodology, simpleprocedures…and a bit of craftsmanship, of course.I always loved clean and bold projects, mainly the architecturalbuilding ones. This is my style, and LUMINA was not different. I soughtto keep away from “aquarium look” that the most of Plexiglas projectsfollow, by inventing a new design and lighter structure. Undoubtedly,the engineering helped me to plan the project – to fix the alignment ofsome pieces and to find a solution for little building issues, such asadjusting the horizontal inclination angles of the two hinged doors toprevent them from being jammed. Frontlines:Fuel of War hands-on p @ bit-tech.net [Dec-12-07] (0 Comments) Unless youplay at a higher level, most Unreal Tournament 3 and Team Fortress 2games are actually quite casual and rarely require use of a microphoneor regular communication – unless you suspect there’s a spy in yourmidst.Frontlines, like Quake Wars, isn’t built like that.Instead, it’s constructed so that players need to communicate if theywant to accomplish complex goals. It’s something to which the leveldesign is a heavily contributing factor as, in Frontlines,there is rarely any set path or route to follow. It’s an open world –players are given helicopters and tanks and told to do somethinghowever they want.The result is that everyone tries to pull in different directions,meaning that communication is essential. This doesn’t mean that Frontlines is a bad game, because I hadfun whilst playing it and, if nothing else that’s a great scale tomeasure a game by. It does mean that the experience (as opposed to thegameplay) isn’t as accessible as some games though – it targets itselfmuch more at someone who wants to really invest themselves in a game,creating clans and organising matches.If that’s the type of thing you find yourself doing often thenFrontlines could be right up your street. However, even then Frontlinesmay not be anything that is especially worth picking up as the game isreally quite generic and derivative. Again, it’s not that it’s thatbad; just that it doesn’t really take great strides forwards or haveanything that really sets it out from the crowd. If the competitionmanages to make even a small step beyond in terms of either technologyor game design then Frontlines could get left behind quite easily. A solid team-based shooter at its core, Frontlines suffersfrom a lack of accessibility and inspiration, but there is still plentyof time to go until release and the open beta is due to start soon.Shove those two ideas together and you realise that there’s still a lotof time for Frontlines to change and become something else – somethingworth shouting about. BFG GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB @ pcper.com [Dec-11-07] (0 Comments) Let's see...take an already impressive chip with the 8800 GT, addsome more stream processors and up the clocks a bit...and it's no wonderthat the new 8800 GTS 512MB card is a great performer. The 8800 GT cardsdefinitely hit a sweet spot in the balance of price and performance (if youcan find them that is) and the 8800 GTS based on that same G92 architectureis also a winner, just a slightly higher price point. Crucial Lanfest 2 GB DDR2-800 Kit @ techpowerup.com [Dec-10-07] (0 Comments) Crucial's Newegg Lanfest 2K7 Special Edition memory kit is an extreme overclocking kit at its best. With stellar looks and the potential to simply shatter the rated specifications, this kit definitely won't fail to please the overclocking needs of any PC enthusiast and at a great price to boot. DFI LanParty UT NF680i SLI-T2R @ nordichardware.com [Dec-08-07] (0 Comments) But now, one year since the introduction of the Core 2 Duo with several new interesting products on the way, it looks as if DFI is finally making its way back to the spotlight. One of the motherboards introduced by DFI this summer is the DFI LanParty UT NF680i SLI-T2R, a motherboard which I've been granted the opportunity to have a closer look at. XFX GeForce 8800GT 256MB XXX Edition Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Dec-07-07] (0 Comments) XFX has done a wonderful job with their XXX Edition video card fo r the GeForce 8800 GT 256MB series. Their improved cooler is a nice touch that makes their GeForce 8800 GT video cards stand out from the rest. It 's tough to make a video card stand our from the crowd, but XFX has been finding ways to make it happen. The bundle with the XFX GeForce 8800 GT 2 56MB Alpha Dog XXX Edition was solid and it was nice to see the game Lost Planet included with the bundle. The 650MHz core clock and 1.6GHz memor y clocks on the XXX edition are nice as it's a card you can plug in and j ust run. Users don't have to download third party applications and/or fl ash the BIOS to overclock... Technic3D/Edifier e3300 2.1 @ technic3d.com [Dec-05-07] (0 Comments) The Edifier e3300 2.1 Speaker System arrived Technic3D. High-E nd Sound for the PC with a good price and nice design? Technic3D will hear and see that in the following Review. Ultra X3 1000 Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Dec-03-07] (0 Comments) Anyone familiar with the old fighting game Primal Instinct knows thesignificance of hearing that word. Much like Mortal KombatR, primal instinctused a combo system and the Ultra Combo was the best one. By the time youfinished off the combo, your opponent was so beaten and bruised, yourvictory was all, but assured. I remember jubilantly celebrating when I wouldpull one of those combos off as I finished local rivals. Now, I'm older, butwhen I heard I was given the chance to review the X3 1000 watt power supplyby Ultra, I celebrated like I did of old with a fist pump in the air forgood measure. For the last few months, I've been considering a SLI setupwith dual 8800 GTX's, but I knew my 650 would probably have problems withproviding the needed power. I already have one GTX, but I also have 3 SATAII hard drives, a DVD-RW, CD-RW, 3 USB hard drives, and about 4 other USBdevices plugged into my computer. Another GTX might take it over the edge.Just from reputation, I knew the Ultra X3 1000 has what it takes to handleSLI without breaking a sweat. Not to mention, Ultra is very well known forthe quality of its hardware. I wasn't going to miss out on the opportunityto put this thing through its paces. bit-tech :Super Mario Galaxy @ bit-tech.net [Dec-02-07] (0 Comments) Granted, that isn't a problem which immediately detracts fromthe quality of Galaxy,but it is a problem which will bother some of the grumpier gamers outthere (like myself) and will probably be pointed out by some of theXbox 360 and PS3 fanboys who populate the world.I suppose this criticism comes down to my original bite-sizedexplanation of the game; that it is essentially just SuperMario 64 in space. That’s not bad, because both Mario 64 and Galaxyitself are great games, but it is illustrative of a wider issue.Shoving those wider issues aside for a moment though, Super MarioGalaxyis a game which belongs in the collection of any Wii gamer. It’smassive world is one which can be either fully explored, probed andcompleted, or skipped through when the difficulty curve gets too steep.The new transformations and moves available to Mario are fun enough tokeep the game feeling slightly fresh even if it isn’t really that muchof a breakthrough and the levels themselves are complex and interestingenough to entertain anyone.The fact that it’s got the Super Mario name on it may putsome people off the game who think that Mario games are just for kids,but it really shouldn’t. Despite the cartoony and kiddy feel that thegame has on the surface there’s actually a wealth of longevity andreplayability hidden under the crust - Galaxy is a game whichwill keep hardcore and casual gamers entertained for hours and hours. bit-tech :Mass Effect @ bit-tech.net [Dec-01-07] (0 Comments) It’s difficult not to use superlatives and become all effusivewhen writing about a game like Mass Effect, but in this case it’s welldeserved.I’m not saying that the game is perfect:it’s not, and there are stilla few little spanners in the works. The graphical glitches and awkwardload points aren’t major points, and it’s a testament to the quality ofthe game that I’m essentially forced to nitpick to find something wrongwith the game. Mass Effect is huge too, both in terms of the area the gamecovers and the amount of playing time. There are enough side quests andachievements to keep even the most obsessive gamer happy for a year andBioWare has said that once the main game is finished, it’s stillpossible to travel around the galaxy and visit other planets,completing side quests that you may have missed.Add on top of that the chance to replay the game with differentdialogue decisions and the additional episodic gaming that BioWare haspromised, and Mass Effectgoes from being a huge game to being a mind-cripplingly massive game.It’s the type of game which gives ‘100 percent Complete Perfectionists’nightmares.If BioWare manages to carry on the quality of the storytelling foranother two games, plus the interim episodes, it will have donesomething the likes of which hasn’t been seen in computer gamingbefore. If you are at all interested in video game storytelling orsimply want to play a Shooter/RPG which offers colossal replayabilitywithout becoming a grind-fest then buy Mass Effect. You won’t regret it. Asus Xonar D2 @ insidehw.com [Nov-30-07] (0 Comments) Some time ago, ASUS announced their plans to enter the sound cardmarket, with models targeting primarily gamers. This information wasreceived with a solid amount of skepticism, as we could seldom see anyonewho thought that a fresh sound card could beat Creative X-Fi models. Inorder to accomplish this task, the product itself has to be up to par, andread on to see whether it is. Sunbeam Tuniq Mini Plant 950W @ techpowerup.com [Nov-29-07] (0 Comments) Sunbeam's Mini Plant is a wolf in sheep's clothing. The PSU comes in an ATX standard sized casing but offers up to 950W of power. With most other manufacturers this means that the PSU fan will be very loud, not with the Mini Plant. Actually the fan is the quietest we ever tested in the 900W+ segment, you can almost not hear it, even under load. ThermalTake Armor+ VH6000 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Nov-28-07] (0 Comments) I’ll be honest, when the ThermalTake Armor+ case arrivedat the office, I was left in a similar state as when the Antec P190landed; speechless. The box is a mammoth construction of cardboard thathints of the case packaged inside; a super tower case.This case is something special; it’s built for the most demanding userand includes the option to have preinstalled water cooling, up to sevenHDD bays, up to seven 5.25” bays, a removable motherboard tray,aluminium construction and a large 23cm fan. With its gamer-centriclooks, cavernous size and WCG (World Cyber Games) official caseaccolade, let’s see how it performs. bit-tech :Unreal Tournament 3 and Ageia PhysX @ bit-tech.net [Nov-23-07] (0 Comments) */Unreal Tournament 3/ is an excellent game and there's no doubt in my mind that it'll be the backbone of PC multiplayer gaming for a fair old while -- alongside /Team Fortress 2 /, of course. Frankly, it knocks /Enemy Territory:Quake Wars/ out of the water like the limp fish it is. Then it beats it to death with something embarrassing and probably slightly rude. Fill in the blank for yourself, you filthy perverts.* AMD & PowerColor HD 3850 @ insidehw.com [Nov-22-07] (0 Comments) One could say that AMD finally got bored with dragging its offer anddecided to finally do some decent work with the new models. Here we have acompletely new card, destined to impress both the press and the market. Thearchitecture plans were based on the experiences with the R600, withsignificant new changes. Is R670 really all that R600 was meant to be? bit-tech Feature:The Hitchhiker's guide to Mod Sponsorship @ bit-tech.net [Nov-20-07] (0 Comments) When done right and not abused, sponsorship is a mutuallybeneficialand fun way to APEVIA X-JUPITER S-Type Full Tower Case @ modders-inc.com [Nov-17-07] (0 Comments) Apevia has been steadily adding to their listing of great, trendsetting cases. Does the all aluminum X-Jupiter draw us in and hold us likethe mighty titan planet it is named after, or is it just one of its deadmoons? Read on and explore this celestial object with us! [News] ECS P35T-A Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Nov-16-07] (0 Comments) ECS has had some pretty darn decent motherboards since their NForce5 chipsets first arrived. Now that we're on to Intel Core 2 Duo, ECS optedto go for a more feasible LGA 775 motherboard built around the Bearlake P35Chipset. Now, we all know the flagship P35 boards overclock very, very welland offer some excellent performance results. Scaling back the amount offeatures a P35 has to offer isn't a bad thing and often performs just aswell minus top range overclocking, extra e-SATA ports, and elaborate heatpipe cooling. Coolink Silenator @ bleedinedge.com [Nov-15-07] (0 Comments) With the increasing heat output of the modern cpu, cooling solutions havebeen getting larger, more elaborate, and louder. While some may not mind the50+ dB noise output by the current generation of heatsink/fan units, others,like this reviewer, seek the balance of performance and noise. Today, wepresent a new air cooling solution with this in mind, the Silentator byCoolink. Tuniq Miniplant 950 Watt Power Supply @ pro-clockers.com [Nov-15-07] (0 Comments) Hmmmm. What is it that I am possibly missing? I know. a powerfulpower supply. Powering a system of this multitude takes a pretty powerfulpower supply. Most people would immediately scream out 850 plus watts. Ifyou want the room and power to spare Tuniq has a new power unit just releaseto the market. The Miniplant is a small power-plant capable of providing amassive 950 watts of power, proving great things can come in small packages. Digit-Life :Analysing NVIDIA G8x Performance in Modern Games @ digit-life.com [Nov-14-07] (0 Comments) This article was initially intended to continue our analysis of shader units and to show how their number affects NVIDIA G8x performance in modern games. We planned to change parameters of a G80-based graphics card to make it resemble the mid-end G84-based products. Unfortunately, our plans never got to the first base - G80's hardware performance counters didn't work with some shader units disabled. So we decided not to trash our test results and use them in a brief comparative analysis of performance and some other parameters of modern 3D games. AsylumLAN 30 Recap @ techgage.com [Nov-12-07] (0 Comments) Last weekend,Evansville, IN was home to AsylumLAN 30, and not only wasour own Senior Editor and Indiana-resident Greg King there, but Matt H,Corey, Rob and his friend Chris made the trip down as well. Being the30th AL, it was something special, and we've recapped the entire eventinside. Plantronics Voyager 520 Bluetooth Headset @ bluetomorrow.com [Nov-11-07] (0 Comments) The Plantronics Voyager 520 Bluetooth Headset, one of several headsets in Plantronics? Voyager Series, is the follow-up to the Voyager 510. The Voyager 520 looks dramatically different from its predecessor- it?s an ear-in headset instead of over the ear- but, it?s still an adequate headset with an improved design and decent performance Message-ID:MIME-Version:Thread-Index:Content-Language:x-cr-hashedpuzzle:x-cr-puzzleid:X-Authenticated-Sender:X-BeenThere:X-Mailman-Version:Precedence:List-Id:List-Unsubscribe:List-Archive:List-Post:List-Help:List-Subscribe:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Sender:Errors-To:User-Agent:X-Face; @ overclockersonline.net [Nov-09-07] (0 Comments) There's no denying the fact that ATP Inc's ToughDrive mini is at thetop of its class. Packaged in a small rubber casing, the look was simple butthe performance packed a heavy punch. As the name implies, if you need adurable drive and want to tough it out through sand, snow and abuse, thisdrive won't let any of that get in its way. This tiny monster has certainlysurpassed my expectations. [News] Cooler Master CM 690 ATX Enclosure @ virtual-hideout.net [Nov-08-07] (0 Comments) Arriving at my front door in a plain brown box, this mystery itempuzzled me. Not knowing if I should open it up or call Home Land Security, Itook the chance and risked life and limb to find out what was lurkinginside. Lo and behold, it was the CM690 SLI-ready enclosure from CoolerMaster. This sleek, black enclosure sports a black mesh front and top withchrome dividers, tool-less installation, internal cable management system,and enough fan openings to create your own hovercraft. A bunch of otherneat, little options are included, but I will mention those in the review -no need to spoil things now. Geeks Wireless Infrared Color Cameras and Receiver @ rbmods.com [Nov-08-07] (0 Comments) Recently, we had a chance to peek into the world of home surveillancewith our review of a stand-alone digital video recorder (DVR). But what goodis a DVR without a decent wireless security camera system? Geeks.com, popular online retailer, offersa wide range of surveillance cameras that can provide the all-importantvideo feed for your security system. Today we'll take a look at one of thecamera systems they offer, a Wireless Infrared Color Camera system +Receiver combo. Will this basic system provide all you need to beginmonitoring your home or office? Let's find out. Koolance CPU-330 and VID-282 Waterblock @ pcper.com [Nov-07-07] (0 Comments) Koolance is well known for delivering professionally designed andbuilt liquid cooling systems and components and the CPU-330 and VID-282cooling blocks carry on that tradition. Both waterblocks exhibit excellentbuild quality and the finest materials. The 24k gold plating on the coppercomponents looks awesome on the outside and provides excellent corrosionresistance on the inside. Performance is right up there with the best andboth cooling blocks are relatively easy to install. Just remember topurchase nozzles (tube fittings) to go with your waterblock. NZXT Rogue - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Nov-03-07] (0 Comments) NZXT have been champions of the gamer casemarket for a while now. In order to keep a top position, you need tokeep pumping out interesting cases designed for every user. To fit thisbill, they’ve releases the Rogue.Featuring a box shaped design and LAN carrying strap, it should be ableto keep NZXT at the top of the game. AMD's Q4 graphics line-up revealed @ tweaktown.com [Nov-02-07] (0 Comments) We've managed to get our hands on a document which contains AMD 's plans for Q4 this year and how they position their products against Nvidia's in the graphics card market. There are some interesting inform ation here and one of the main things we spotted was that the Radeon HD 2 900 XT is being EOL:ed or in other words, discontinued.It looks like the Radeon HD 3870 and 3850 are indeed the right names for the new RV670 based cards from AMD, although there's an XT and a P whic h we presume means Pro on this document which doesn't add up with what we've seen some sites reporting about when it comes to AMD's new nami ng scheme. HIS 2900Pro 512MB vs. XFX 8800GTS 320MB Fatal1ty @ insidehw.com [Nov-02-07] (0 Comments) We all know that, after a certain amount of time since the bestmodel is presented to the consumer market, a newer version arrives,more-or-less weaker, and takes up a spot in the slightly lower price range.A product such as this usually appears discretely, with no hype at all, andbecomes generally accepted and praised for its price-performance ratio. Ifwe only take a glance back at the past two generations, we can see howRadeons X1950PRO and X800GTO2 sneaked onto the global market and became verypopular in no time. When we received X1950PRO's inheritor, the HD 2900PRO,for testing purposes, no one ever even mentioned how great a product it issupposed to be. Corsair TX750W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Nov-01-07] (0 Comments) Overall, most of the higher-capacity Channel Well Technology builtpower supplies have proven to be excellent but they have a weakness, whichis higher levels of AC ripple on the +12V output. While still well withinspec, the TX750W exhibits a little more AC ripple on the +12V rail than wewould like to see, especially at higher loads. Bottom line; you get whatyou pay for and some trade-offs have to be made when balancing price andperformance. Planar 24-inch PX2411W Wide-Screen @ techgage.com [Oct-30-07] (0 Comments) As 24 Message-ID:MIME-Version:Thread-Index:Content-Language:X-Authenticated-Sender:X-BeenThere:X-Mailman-Version:Precedence:List-Id:List-Unsubscribe:List-Archive:List-Post:List-Help:List-Subscribe:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Sender:Errors-To:User-Agent:X-Face; @ overclockersonline.net [Oct-29-07] (0 Comments) The Antec Quattro 850W is a high end bargain power supply, if theterm even exists, truly a testament of the meaning of value. For the priceof a low end power supply, the Quattro 850W is up to par with power suppliespriced in a much higher price bracket, matching them in performance andfeatures. [News] Sapphire HD2400XT and HD2600XT Graphics Cards @ virtual-hideout.net [Oct-27-07] (0 Comments) Whether you want a sub $100 budget card or a sub $200 mid-rangecard, either one of these will be a good choice. Both cards performed welland with the new PCMark Vantage benchmark tests, you can see the Frames PerSecond in the gaming GPU test. The XD2600XT doubled the FPS over theXD2400XT in gaming, but in the video playback and transcoding, results arealmost identical. Each card comes with a DVI to HDMI adapter and this makeseither card ideal for a home entertainment setup. A.C.Ryan AluBoxDuo LAN - ndas storage @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Oct-26-07] (0 Comments) The thing that impresses me the most about the A.C.Ryan AluBoxDuo LAN is the manual and the depths it goes into, even a novice to computer hardware could set-up the A.C.Ryan AluBoxDuo LAN. With one or two minor exceptions the manual is faultless and the software guides you through the procedures smoothly. OCZ DDR3 PC3-14400 Platinum 2 GB @ techpowerup.com [Oct-24-07] (0 Comments) OCZ's new DDR3 1800 memory kit is geared towards early adopters, overclockers and enthusiasts that always want to have the latest and the greatest. We tested the 2 GB kit and were surprised how well balanced overclocking is. You are free to run aggressive CL5 timings at lower clocks or go full out, up to 1850 MHz. bit-tech Feature:Independent Games Festival 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Oct-23-07] (0 Comments) One of the more accomplished titles to be spotted on the listis thefirst episode in the new series from Frictional Games, titled Penumbra:Overture.In order to quell any nay-sayers we’ve been in contact with FrictionalGames a bit over the last few months and we can promise both that thesecond episode is on its way and that we’ll be getting a good look atit when it does arrive.Penumbra began as one ofthe most popular and most downloadedindie games ever and the original game was a short, self-contained techdemo which can be downloaded here if you want to get a taste for thefull game.The game is the first part of a continuing series which tells the storyof Philip, a physicist who gets a mysterious letter from hislong-absent and supposedly dead father. Philip sets out to investigateand predictably enough gets embroiled in a survival horror situation inan abandoned bunker somewhere in snow-swept Greenland. Logisys 550W LED Acrylic Power Supply @ gideontech.com [Oct-18-07] (0 Comments) Logisys claims they are originators of the clear power supply according to their website. With this model, they plan to provide more power and visuals while keeping the noise down. Each cable is sleeved which helps their cause in cable management. Logitech MX620 Cordless Laser Mouse @ insidehw.com [Oct-18-07] (0 Comments) After the surprising introduction of G5's successor last month,another series of Logitech peripherals got a new-born. As one can see atfirst glance, the MX 620 is not in the least a replacement for the MX 610,but a brand new addition to an already established series of successfulwireless mice. Altec Lansing FX3020 SoundBar @ techgage.com [Oct-18-07] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing grabbed some attention at the 2007 CES withtheir PT7031 and PT8051 'Powered Theater' speakers, which created avirtual surround sound field around the listener. Their new FX3020SoundBar features a similar concept =E2=80=93 but does it deliver? Message-ID:MIME-Version:Thread-Index:Content-Language:X-Authenticated-Sender:X-BeenThere:X-Mailman-Version:Precedence:List-Id:List-Unsubscribe:List-Archive:List-Post:List-Help:List-Subscribe:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Sender:Errors-To:User-Agent:X-Face; @ overclockersonline.net [Oct-16-07] (0 Comments) The DDR3 revolution has only just begun and the performance isalready better than a lot of people figured it would be. The clocks we areseeing from these Micron D9GTR ICs on the Crucial Ballistix modules aresimply incredible and un-matched by anyone else at the moment, much like theMicron D9GMH/GKX of DDR2. Message-ID:MIME-Version:Thread-Index:Content-Language:X-Authenticated-Sender:X-BeenThere:X-Mailman-Version:Precedence:List-Id:List-Unsubscribe:List-Archive:List-Post:List-Help:List-Subscribe:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Sender:Errors-To:User-Agent:X-Face; @ overclockersonline.net [Oct-16-07] (0 Comments) The DDR3 revolution has only just begun and the performance isalready better than a lot of people figured it would be. The clocks we areseeing from these Micron D9GTR ICs on the Crucial Ballistix modules aresimply incredible and un-matched by anyone else at the moment, much like theMicron D9GMH/GKX of DDR2. Antec TruePower Quattro 1,000W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Oct-15-07] (0 Comments) The Antec Quattro 1,000W power supply has a lot of very goodfeatures. The voltage regulation is excellent and the overall efficiency isvery good. Under normal operating conditions (below 600W load) the Quattro1kW is quiet and runs relatively cool. The Quattro comes fitted with a goodbalance of hard-wired and modular connectors that can support dual, high-endvideo cards. And let's not forget active PFC and Antec's 5-year AQ5warranty! Homeland Security Raids on Console Modding @ bonafidereviews.com [Oct-15-07] (0 Comments) Ok guys when you think of things you’d want to put on your top ten list for problems America has to deal with, what would they be. No not terrorism. No… not education. Not poverty. Not homelessness. Not zombies. In fact, if the actions of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) have anything to say about it, the biggest threat to our American way of life is console modding. Yes console modding. Brando USB Mini Fridge @ thinkcomputers.org [Oct-14-07] (1 Comments) When you are working long hours or are doing some serious gamingnothing can keep you going like a nice cold drink. The problem is once youget a drink from the fridge and take it into your office there is no way ofkeeping it cold. Also if you are at a LAN party and you don't have access toa refrigerator there is no way to get a nice cold drink. This is where theBrando USB Mini Fridge comes in. It is powered by USB and can keep yourdrinks cold while you are doing work or gaming. bit-tech Feature:CrossFire Comparison - Intel X38 vs. P35 @ bit-tech.net [Oct-13-07] (0 Comments) So I'm sure that one question on your mind is whatshould I buy?Well, next generation cards from AMD and Nvidia aren't far away at allif the rumours are to be believed. However, they're likely to command apremium for being new, unless they are particularly competitive withone another. If you've set your mind firmly on buying two cards then at leastbalance this off with an appropriate solution - there are cheapervanilla X38 boards out there if you can't afford an Asus Blitz, and ifyou're already prepared to throw £200/300+ on a pair of graphics cards,investing in a decent board to pair them with should be a necessarything to keep in mind. But remember, simply overclocking or tweakingthe system for more performance will negate some of the advantages ofmore PCI-Express lanes and should provide a better overall performancefor your everyday computing, rather than just gaming. Technic3D/e-bug SLI PC @ technic3d.com [Oct-12-07] (0 Comments) The e-bug SLI PC arrived Technic3D. The new PC come with Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 CPU (Arctic Cooling Heatsink), 2GB Corsair Ram, 2x X FX Graphic Card 8600GTS and Abit Fatal1ty FP-IN9 SLI Mainboard. For Of fice and Gaming very Silent? See you in the following Review. Geeks 4-Channel Standalone DVR @ rbmods.com [Oct-11-07] (0 Comments) Digital video recorders (DVRs) have revolutionized the way manypeople watch TV and record video. Their simple interface and small footprintmake them a popular choice for your video recording needs. But how aboutusing them for other applications, such as for video surveillance?Geeks.com, popular online computer hardwareretailer, offers a standalone 4-channel DVR that might do the trick. Willthis DVR make DIY home security easy to achieve? Read on to find out. Acer AL2002W 20-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor @ thinkcomputers.org [Oct-08-07] (0 Comments) LCD monitors are becoming ever more popular, especially widescreens.A few years ago it was uncommon to see someone at a LAN party with an LCDmonitor. Now you can find that most people will bring their widescreen LCDmonitor because it's a whole heck of a lot lighter than a CRT and most ofthe time the display is a lot better. Let's take a look to see how the AcerAL2002W widescreen monitor will stand up to the performance expected ofgaming at LAN parties. bit-tech Feature:How to write... an Adventure game @ bit-tech.net [Oct-08-07] (0 Comments) The Adventuregenre is, it has long been proclaimed, a dead genre.Nobody plays them. Nobody wants them. Nobody good makes them. So go themelodramatic criers who want to get a lot of traffic on their websitesby appearing controversial and ‘in-your-face’.It’s true that the adventure game genre has died off a bit and theworld is no longer filled with point and click adventures like Beneatha Steel Sky, Broken Sword or the computer game adaptation of my secondfavourite story ever, I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream.Still, just because we don’t have many ‘point and click’ adventuregames anymore doesn’t mean that we don’t still have adventure games asa major genre. Both Fahrenheit and Sam and Maxare proof of that - thought it's impossible to deny that consumerinterest in adventure games has declined a lot in recent years. In a world where we have photo-realistic gameplay, physics simulationsand lots of really impressive explosions, why would anybody want toplay a story-driven adventure game? I put the question to David Cagefirst.“Adventure games died off because they failed to evolve. Theyfailed to find new answers, a new language different from thetraditional ‘Point and Click’, which led them to totally miss theconsole market. Because console games use a controller and not a mouse,because they are fast paced and targeting a younger audience, they madeadventure games look out of place.” AMD Triple Core - Marketing Hype or Mainstream Killer? @ legitreviews.com [Oct-07-07] (0 Comments) When AMD announced they were coming out with a triple-core proces sor in the Phenom family of processors in Q1 2008, it caught many in the industry off guard. It turns out that AMD changed course a bit at the el eventh hour and managed to come up with an interesting gameplan to keep c ompetitive with Intel in the months ahead... Message-ID:MIME-Version:X-Mailer:Thread-Index:Content-Language:x-cr-hashedpuzzle:x-cr-puzzleid:X-Authenticated-Sender:X-BeenThere:X-Mailman-Version:Precedence:List-Id:List-Unsubscribe:List-Archive:List-Post:List-Help:List-Subscribe:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Sender:Errors-To:X-Face; @ overclockersonline.net [Oct-07-07] (0 Comments) Ultra Products is becoming a very regular contest participant andthis month they've teamed up with CoolIT Systems for an even biggergiveaway. This month we have 4 awesome prizes to give away. We will haveone lucky winner to take home everything so this is one contest you do notwant to miss. bit-tech :John Woo's Stranglehold (PC) @ bit-tech.net [Oct-07-07] (0 Comments) Stranglehold is a remarkable, enjoyable and appealing game toplay, but there are a few problems. Although the gameplay is very immersive, mission objectives appear veryarbitrary and pointless and once you’ve played around with all thespecial moves, which will take a good few hours, the situations youfind yourself in become rather repetitive. This was especially true forme at the end of the third level. Instead of being sat on the edge ofmy seat in awe of how much I was owning; I noticed my body language hadbeen reduced to slumping in the chair as I mowed down yet another waveof Triads. DirectX 10 Gaming Performance - High End GPUs @ pcper.com [Oct-04-07] (0 Comments) If the single graphics card performance of the HD 2900 XT madeNVIDIA's 8800 cards look good, then the SLI versus CrossFire comparison putsNVIDIA on cloud 9. NVIDIA has done a great job improving the SLI experienceon Windows Vista and has been able to produce some impressive scalingnumbers. In Call of Juarez adding a second 8800 GTS 640MB card got us an86% improved frame rate and in Lost Planet we saw an 81% improvement. Othertitles like World in Conflict and Bioshock had smaller performanceadvantages in SLI but the fact is that there were improvements across theboard. Interview with Cooler Master (Sept 2007) @ tweaktown.com [Oct-01-07] (0 Comments) I spent some time finding out more about Cooler Master's curren t marketing strategy, their future goals and also a bit more about some o f the team who are trying to put the name Cooler Master into the forefron t of every enthusiast and gamer's mind. Let me introduce the newly form ed team and divulge some of their game plans. I met Raymen Wu, an executive within Cooler Master's Marketing Departme nt and his colleagues, Coco Lee and David Jarlestedt. They are the new ge neration of Marketing Managers for Cooler Master HQ based in Taiwan, and of them, Raymen was the designated spokesperson for this interview who gu ided me with his colleagues through some of the new strategies that Coole r Master will be taking on. bit-tech P:Crysis Multiplayer Beta Impressions @ bit-tech.net [Sep-25-07] (0 Comments) So, is Crysis the next best thing or a just a very pretty butstill dead fish floating in the vast and ever-changing ocean of PCgames? The chances are you’ve already made up your mind on the issue,but you still came here and read this far in order to hear my thoughtsso you’ll still have to sit down and listen. Or read. Whatever.The problem with Crysis as far as I can see is that it may be perilously close tofalling into the same trap as Far Cry– ending up a gorgeous game with some very interesting gameplayelements, but still marred on a few basic issues. The short ten hourlength of the singleplayer game and the quick movement between thejungle, frozen island and spaceship environments may just be a savinggrace for the singleplayer game if rumours are to be believed.With the multiplayer though, the gameplay still feels a little confusedand broken. Wonky physics and performance issues are easily forgiven ina beta version, but the actual premise and the design of the powerstruggle mode is still something I’d call into question. Even thegamemodes themselves could change as the game moves from beta to goldstatus and if you’re one of the few people who’s genuinely confusedabout whether or not Crysis will live up to the hype then you’re going to have to hold onand wait until you can get a taste of the game. Zalman Z-Machine GT1000 High End Computer Enclosure @ pcper.com [Sep-24-07] (0 Comments) The Z-Machine is an outstanding case with just the right balance ofclean lines, elegant styling, and functional features that demandingenthusiasts want in a premium enclosure. The materials, constructiontechniques, and build quality are unmatched. The layout of the front panelis near perfect and the included LED cooling fans provide very good airflowand case cooling. Apevia X-QPack 2 - XSs @ Jon \ [Sep-21-07] (0 Comments) Soyou want to go to your LAN party but really can’t be bothered tohump around your humongous PC case weighing in at more than a man cancarry? Well, Apevia (formerly Aspire) feel your pain and have come upwith a new version of their LANer’s case the X-QPack wisely namedX-QPack 2.With an all aluminium chassis and a steelcarrying handle, it should be your perfect partner to your nextgeek-fest. Let’s have a look how it performs. Gaming Culture:Four Stereotypes Examined @ bonafidereviews.com [Sep-19-07] (0 Comments) Because Hardcore gamers have such a wealth of info on gaming and how games operate, they are keener on figuring out game imbalance. Though this might make new gamers angry when presented with evidence that their favorite character is either IDF Fall 2007 Keynote (Live!) - Penryn, Nehalem, Larrabee @ pcper.com [Sep-19-07] (0 Comments) The chip architecture is well into development and will be showcasedfor the first time working in 2008 -- though when in 2008 they didn't say.My guess would be about this time next year. Intel plans to make in-roadsat the high performance visual computing space by bringing teraflops of rawprocessing power to the hands of developers. MSI X38 Diamond p @ bit-tech.net [Sep-14-07] (0 Comments) Overall, the board has better features than usualwhich is always good, however it just feels a touch sporadic and thereisn't that elegance in the design. I know, if it works then what thehell, right? But for example, dedicating a whole PCI-Express x1 lanefor just one IDE port feels... wrong. MSI is limited by the options ofchipsets available, true, but it seems like there's just been a checklist and stuff has been progressively thrown on then the dots have beenjoined.On a slightly different note, we did ask about MSI's RD790 motherboard,but there's currently no word on it just yet. This is both surprisingand slightly worrying - we can only assume that it's because Phenomparts are still a little way away, and so we'll know more when you canbuy the CPUs for it. How The Memory Cache Works @ hardwaresecrets.com [Sep-13-07] (0 Comments) In this tutorial you will learn everything you need to know about cache memory in an easy to follow language. [News] Thermaltake LANBOX Lite Enclosure @ virtual-hideout.net [Sep-11-07] (0 Comments) At the beginning of the year I reviewed the Tt LANBOX enclosure.This month I will be going over the Tt LANBOX Lite. The Tt LANBOX Lite is afully modular system where all the components can be removed from the bodyof the enclosure for easier installation. There are front panel mesh andside panel openings for increased airflow, and front and rear fans help withthe air flow to keep all the components cool. Also, let's not forget tomention that Piano finish that I love so much. So what makes this version The Tetris Mod @ bit-tech.net [Sep-10-07] (0 Comments) Out of all ofthose great games though there was one which got peoplehooked all over the world - Tetris. The game seemed so verysimple...all you had to do was place every little piece into a wall. Ofcourse, simple doesn't mean easy - blocks dropped quicker and quicker,and the minutes flew by just as quickly. Thousands of colourful hoursin eight bits, double matches trying to be the best in the “hall offame”!The idea of the new Planet Express Klan project arose from these fondmemories. It would be based in a retro style, with very bright colours.It also had to be of huge proportions, as it would need to hold thegaming rigs of each of our clan. bit-tech :Medal of Honor:Airborne @ bit-tech.net [Sep-07-07] (0 Comments) * Inevitably, /Airborne/ is going to draw comparisons to /Call of Duty 2/, which was the last truly great WWII FPS, and it’s a pretty close call. /Call of Duty 2/ had a bit more polish and graphical consistency, but on the other hand it didn’t let you jump out of planes. Plantronics Voyager 520 Bluetooth Headset @ legitreviews.com [Sep-04-07] (0 Comments) With a new design and update to an already great family of Blueto oth headsets, Plantronics has given the Voyager line of headsets a flagsh ip they can be proud of. Improving on the comfort level of the Voyager 51 0 as well as a nice leap forward in sound quality and volume, the Voyager 520 is a solid heir and should provide those looking for more =91minimal ist' styling exactly what they are looking for... Plantronics Pulsar 260 Bluetooth Stereo Headset @ bluetomorrow.com [Sep-02-07] (0 Comments) Plantronics' Pulsar 260 Bluetooth Stereo headset is designed to beused with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone that also has the capability ofstoring and playing stereo MP3 files. For those users who have compatiblemobile phones, the Pulsar 260 system may be a good way to listen to musicand answer phone calls without switching from headphones to headset. In Win F430 Red Mid Tower ATX Gamers Case @ legitreviews.com [Aug-23-07] (0 Comments) If you spend a little time at any local LAN you will notice gamer s like to trick out their PC case like gearheads trick out a car. In Win has designed a case to combine the two worlds, and we now have the F430. The design of the case takes styling queues from the Ferrari F430 sports car and when you power up the system instead of the standard beep you get the sound of a Ferrari starting up... Crucial DDR2-800 2GB Memory Kit (CT12864AA80E.16FD) @ thetechlounge.com [Aug-22-07] (0 Comments) We're getting into the hardware reviews something fierce, and now is a goodtime to start a series of memory articles. Let's begin with the basics:DDR2-800. Also known as PC2 6400 RAM, 800MHz DDR2 is the most common memorystandard, which balances tight timings and high bandwidth perfectly. Andbecause DDR2-800 is universal to AMD and Intel alike, it sets the baselineagainst which all other RAM is compared. In the spirit of introducing thisseries on RAM, I've reviewed the plainest, greenest, no-frills, all-stockDDR2 I could find:Crucial's 2x1GB non-Ballistix DDR2-800 kit. And I wasvery pleased by it. Advanced Warfighter 2 - AGEIA PhysX PPU Update @ pcper.com [Aug-17-07] (0 Comments) The AGEIA Island level is a different story as our screenshots anddescriptions above attest to. The level of interactivity with the worldincreased dramatically when the developers could assume that the user wasgoing to have PhysX hardware on their system and didn't have to worry aboutbackwards compatibility. Even though some of the new animations andinteractions were cheesy (like the tree that always breaks in the samelocation), the feel of the level made the game much different and I couldsee how expanding on it could create something truly innovative. GIGABYTE P35T-DQ6 (DDR3) ed @ tweaktown.com [Aug-16-07] (0 Comments) Intel's P35 chipset has already made a hug e impact on the market, turning the Core 2 series of CPU into King of the PC platform. 1333MHz FSB, DDR3 memory and Crossfire already have it goin g strong. When X38 makes its debut, we will see Intel move into extreme p erformance with extreme memory, extreme turning and dual full-speed x16 P CI-Express lanes for Crossfire graphics, and hopefully SLI as well. Today we are looking at GIGABYTE's first DDR3 offering for the high-end market. Under the Dual Quad 6 series of boards, the P35T-DQ6 is designed to carry on from the P35-DQ6. The big difference? Let's have a look an d find out. What are the possibilities? @ bonafidereviews.com [Aug-14-07] (0 Comments) The new E3 this year was an interesting change of pace from the E3’s of yore. Gone is the gamer paradise we once loved, and replacing it, a business to business summit meant mostly if not solely for industry. As such, E3 had a lot less to offer in terms of playable demos, but a lot MORE to offer in terms of company press conferences. The big 3 got together to show off their current projects and shiny new toys, and Nintendo was certainly no exception. It’s big headliner? The Wii Balance Board. Asus Blitz Formula and Blitz Extreme @ hothardware.com [Aug-14-07] (0 Comments) Asus saw the need for an enthusiast-class motherboard based on theP35 chipset, but with a more flexible PCI Express configuration. Andleveraging what they undoubtedly learned from designing the PW564-WS ,engineered the Blitz Extreme and Blitz Formula motherboards, complete with aPCI Express switch that allowed them to connect the P35 Northbridge's PCIExpress lanes to not one, but a pair of PEG slots. Asus didn't stop there,however, and also outfitted the Blitz boards with a hybrid air / liquidcooling apparatus and a number of other features that are sure to please. A look at Omega Sektor - the UK's largest LAN gaming centre @ bit-tech.net [Aug-11-07] (0 Comments) I spent a good ten or twenty minutes talking to these potentialcustomers and the one thing that I found most amazing was that they allbelieved the games were running on maximum settings, despite the factthat I later showed them it was default settings and that the PCprevented you from pushing the texture detail to high.Still, I pushed the topic forwards and asked them if they would bewilling to pay for time in the centre. The answer was a unanimous yes,despite the fact that none of them knew how the centre was to bepriced. When I outlined the pricing plan to them, they accepted it asperfectly reasonable given the quality of the hardware and selection ofgames and services. Herded back into the Omega Sektor-mobile and sent back towards thetrain station, I was no longer struggling with my conclusions. OmegaSektor had successfully won me over and it wasn’t because of the fancycars and flowing wine either. Omega Sektor struck a chord with me,making me enthusiastic about competitive gaming again and bringing backthe old adrenaline rush which only LAN gaming can deliver. Couple thatbuzz with the reasonable prices and the backing of companies like Inteland Scan Computers, it’s hard to deny that Omega Sektor is set to bethe hub for professional and competitive gaming in the UK. Asus Blitz Formula and Blitz Extreme @ hothardware.com [Aug-11-07] (0 Comments) Asus saw the need for an enthusiast-class motherboard based on theP35 chipset, but with a more flexible PCI Express configuration. Andleveraging what they undoubtedly learned from designing the PW564-WS ,engineered the Blitz Extreme and Blitz Formula motherboards, complete with aPCI Express switch that allowed them to connect the P35 Northbridge's PCIExpress lanes to not one, but a pair of PEG slots. Asus didn't stop there,however, and also outfitted the Blitz boards with a hybrid air / liquidcooling apparatus and a number of other features that are sure to please. gaming on demand @ bit-tech.net [Aug-10-07] (0 Comments) In terms of interface, support and design however, Metaboli issuperblyexecuted and well put together. The system offers detailed systemrequirements, which is a great advantage. The reader reviews areuniversally useless and Metaboli would do well to mimic Steam byshowing a Metacritic score for the game instead, but the vast majorityof titles will already be familiar to most players so it isn’t animmediate problem. It should also be pointed out that the forums weresomewhat sparsely populated.When you get right down to the core of it, Metaboli is an incrediblywell designed system that comes the closest to rivalling Steam orGametap to date. Whether it can continue to rise in the ranks andimpress gamers remains to be seen as it’s still early days for it, butthere’s no reason we can see why Metaboli won’t be the next ‘bigthing’. Especially when a glance over the Term and Conditions revealsthat it's possible to organise a £1 trial period. PhysX in GRAW 2 - XSs @ Jon \ [Aug-10-07] (0 Comments) Arounda year and a half after their original release, PhysX cards still causemuch controversy when discussion about them begins. They have the usualfanboys and skeptics and all those in between. No one can deny however,that there hasn't been many games that really utilize the PhysX PPU(Cell Factor is perhaps the only one) and shows off what the technologycan really do. Now Ubisoft have released their second game to supportPhysX, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2). With a special leveland extra effects for those with Ageia's cards, will this game make itworth buying one? Read on to find out. Project Nakamura, Japanese wooden case mod @ bit-tech.net [Aug-09-07] (0 Comments) Afterfinishing my last case, Yuugou,I was ready to take a break but I got the opportunity I had beenwaiting for for a long time:to build a case for a paying client. Thisworked out great because the client wanted a mATX case and that waswhat I planned on doing next. This case would become a test of not onlyspeed (since I had less than a few months to complete the project) butalso my ability to accommodate a client which I felt turned out greatin the end. [News] ASUS P5K3 Deluxe WiFi-AP Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Aug-09-07] (0 Comments) The bottom line is very simple. This is an extremely solid performerand offers a great deal all around from the BIOS to the design. Everythingabout the board says performance and stability. Overclockers will definitelyenjoy playing around with the motherboard. It affords a nice array ofsettings, features, and options that are all but guaranteed to show you whatit can do. Just make sure your memory, power supply, and CPU cooler are upto the task. The ASUS P5K3 Deluxe WiFi-AP Edition Motherboard is a perfectlybalanced enthusiast board for any and every type of desktop user. Tikki Aquarium case mod by thechoozen @ bit-tech.net [Aug-06-07] (0 Comments) We started this project with the idea of a cool lookingaquarium, butthen we couldn't stop. So we quickly decided to modify our plans...andinstead of just building an aquarium from a plexiglass tube, we wouldintegrate a small multimedia PC in it. This way, it can be used towatch movies, browse the web etc. Gigabyte GA-M57SLI-S4 nForce 570 SLI Motherboard @ pcper.com [Aug-03-07] (0 Comments) Performance wise, the board led in all categories alongside the EPoXboard based on the 570 SLI chipset. In fact the performance of this boardwas on par with most of the 590 SLI chipset based boards I have tested.However if having dual 16X lanes available to the video cards is animportant feature to you, you may want choose a 590 SLI based chipsetsolution instead. Puget Systems Liquid Cooled Gaming Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-02-07] (0 Comments) Watercooling is becoming more and more mainstream. With this we areseeing a lot of all-in-one systems for beginners and some really cooladvanced systems. Today we are going to be looking at a case that I wouldsay is in between beginner and advanced water cooling. It is one of PugetSystem's Liquid Cooled Gaming Cases. The case is a modified Antec P180B casewith a Koolance system installed as well as 2 Thermaltake radiators. Custom USB Drive - Project:Enter the USB @ thetechlounge.com [Aug-01-07] (0 Comments) Once I had successfully freed the USB drive from its lame shell, it wastime to think. Whatever am I going to put this little thing inside? And sothe search began. I thought about doing a better Lego mod - unoriginal;ChapStick - too thin; film canister - too fat; USB cable shell - too short;gutted iPod - too spendy. Hmm... nothing on my desk was really striking meas a great idea. So the search continued. To the closet! As I rummagedthrough piles of miscellaneous electronics, cables, and computeraccessories, I paused as I held an old keyboard in my hand. AirLive WL-5400CAM WLAN IP Camera @ techpowerup.com [Jul-31-07] (0 Comments) The AirLive WLAN IP Camera is a solid and easy to setup camera, which can be implemented into any existing wired or wireless network infrastructure. The included software allows you to control four devices at the same time, making it the perfect choice for all your surveilance purposes. Silverstone Sugo SG02 SFF chassis @ techpowerup.com [Jul-31-07] (0 Comments) The Sugo SG02 is a small form factor case for MicroATX motherboards which is based on the SG01 Evolution but brings it to the mainstream segment at a much lower price point. The interior of the SFF case is kept very simple but efficient, which makes installation a breeze, while the very unusual white color variant will certainly stand out on any desk, living room or LAN party and goes great with a silver optical drive or two. SilverStone SG03 Aluminum Micro ATX Case @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-31-07] (0 Comments) Finding the right case to transport to a LAN party or fit on a deskwith minimal real estate can sometimes be a daunting task. The dimensionsbetween typical ATX cases and micro ATX cases are sometimes verysignificant, and when space it at a premium, users need to find somethingthat will fit their needs just right. SilverStone has been creating SFFcases for several years now, and the SG03 is their latest version of theSUGO line of cases. This case really goes down a different path fromSilverStone's other previous SFF cases, and really tries to blend thebenefits of a typical ATX case with the compactness of a micro ATX case. [News] ASRock ALiveNF7G-HD Ready Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Jul-28-07] (0 Comments) “ASRock is offering up anotherbudget mATX board, this time for the video enthusiast wanting HD videoplayback. The motherboard this time around is the new AliveNF7G-HDready. Theheart of this motherboard is the new NVIDIA® GeForce 7050 / nForce 630A MCPchipset. This chipset allows the AliveNF7G-HDready to playback 720p H.264movies. With the new chipset the motherboard has two video connection on therear I/O panel:one for VGA D-Sub and the other DVI-D. Many other featuresadorn the AliveNF7G, like RAID0,1,5,0+1, rear panel IEEE port, Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000, and a plethora ofonboard USB2.0 headers. Enough with my talk and check out the specificationsbelow.” Alienware Aurora m9700 17-inch Notebook @ thetechlounge.com [Jul-26-07] (0 Comments) When I think laptop, I think portable computing. I want to be able tocheck some mail, sync some music, and basically, go a long time out of thehouse without worrying about where I'm going to find a free outlet. I'malso the sort who uses a laptop for work, not games, and would rather spendmy gaming budget on a capable desktop. But I understand wanting a laptopthat can game, I've done the LAN party deal for posterity. I alsounderstand the appeal of the desktop replacement:a quiet computer thattakes up almost no space is something most everyone agrees with. [News] ASUS P5N-E SLI Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Jul-26-07] (0 Comments) ASUS has had various P5N models spanning different chipset revisionsas improvements have been implemented. Since ASUS is a well knowninternational name, there P5N-E SLI Motherboard has one purpose:Provide asolid platform with balanced features and stability while keeping theaffordable. Given the chipset's track record, it's quite possible that themotherboard may prove to be another viable option the next time you place anorder or walk in the store. Let's take a look at the ASUS P5N-E SLIMotherboard that ASUS was very kind in sending. A.C. Ryan AluBox LAN @ techpowerup.com [Jul-20-07] (0 Comments) The new AluBox series from A.C. Ryan covers all types of hard drive enclosures utilizing both IDE and SATA drives, with various connection options. We get to take a look at the AluBox LAN in its IDE flavor, which boasts USB 2.0 and Ethernet connectivity. Planar PX2611W 26-Inch Widescreen LCD Monitor @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jul-19-07] (0 Comments) Planar offers the very competitive PX2611W - a 26 inch widescreen LCD monitor that is ideal for most PC's, including web browsing, photography work, and especially gaming. It features a Extreme Condition @ nvnews.net [Jul-17-07] (0 Comments) What could be better than a sci-fi game that involves a bunch of bloodthirsty aliens, arctic environments and big-ass guns? Capcom gives us a console port of Lost Planet:Extreme Condition, which delivers all this and more. Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 Processor @ pcper.com [Jul-16-07] (0 Comments) The new Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 processor is easily the fastestand most powerful consumer processor we have seen here at PC Perspective.It's new 1333 MHz front-side bus, 3.0 GHz clock speed and quad-cores make itthe top end CPU to beat and it will probably remain planted on theperformance crown until the end of the year. Intel's commanding performanceand price cuts are putting more and more pressure on AMD's CPU team and theupcoming Barcelona-core parts are going to need to be fantastic in order tocompete with Intel's current lineup. World in Conflict Multiplayer beta impressions @ bit-tech.net [Jul-14-07] (0 Comments) Well, part of us is very excited. Very excited. The game looks not justawesome, but awesome to the max;the type of game which might make us use words like ‘rowdy’ and‘gnarly’ if we were cool surfer dudes. Instead, being tech geeks wehave to settle with saying that the volumetric smoke effects areawesome and the camera controls are both excellent and intuitive,allowing full and free-roaming control. Gameplay is excellent too, the perfect blend of small squad action,cooperative teamplay and edge-of-seat large scale battles. Units areexcellently priced and balanced so that gameplay never gets too oldand, while the unit selection is quite limited, there’s still plenty ofvariation there to keep us entertained. Gigabyte GA-N680SLI-DQ6 @ hothardware.com [Jul-13-07] (0 Comments) In this article, we're going to showcase yet another Gigabyte-builtmobo - the GA-N680SLI-DQ6 - that seemingly out does every other desktopmotherboard in a number of key areas. How do four Gigabit LAN controllers,10 SATA ports, 100% solid-state capacitors, and a unique wrap-around,passive, cooling apparatus strike you? And did we mention the board isbased on NVIDIA's nForce 680i SLI chipset and has three full length, PCIExpress x16 slots for multi-GPU action? Apevia X-Qpack 2 CM500 Camouflage SFF Case @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jul-13-07] (0 Comments) Apevia has been offering computer chassis solutions long before my LAN party days, but it wasn't until recently that they hit the scene big with their colorful line of gaming cases. Win Tom Clancy's GRAW 2 - 1 Day Left @ tekbunker.com [Jul-12-07] (0 Comments) Ok, to celebrate the lengthy upgrade of the forums as a belated birthday present, Tekbunker will thanks its members with this easy competition. Win Tom Clancy's GRAW 2 @ tekbunker.com [Jul-10-07] (0 Comments) Ok, to celebrate the lengthy upgrade of the forums as a belated birthday present, Tekbunker will thanks its members with this easy competition. Technic3D/Terratec Noxon iRadio @ technic3d.com [Jul-09-07] (0 Comments) The Terratec Noxon iRadio arrived Technic3D. The NOXON iRadio is also a network audio player that lets you enjoy the music on your h ard drive anywhere in the house. All of its functions can be controlle d with the remote or using buttons directly on the device. WLAN standa rds and encryption types are supported. See you in the following Revie w which qualities the Noxon iRadio presents. Lost Planet:Extreme Condition for PC @ bit-tech.net [Jul-07-07] (0 Comments) Lost Planet has an audience, there’s no doubt about that andthat audience will no doubt enjoy every moment they spend with Wayneand Gale (really, new names please), but for the majority of gamers LostPlanetjust doesn’t warrant the full retail price tag or the hassle ofdownloading and setting up a Steam account if you don’t already haveone. Find it again in a few months when the price is down to a tennerand reconsider it then. OCZ PC2-9600 Reaper FlexXLC Memory @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-05-07] (0 Comments) Well we all know that OCZ is great at making ram. During the highdays of DDR, they gave us the VX series that with some voltage maintain somepretty tight timing with high FSB. And then there were the VX2 lines thatgraced the DDR2 period. But for the overclockers and water-cooled rigowners, OCZ has given us the likes of the FlexXLC line. With copper/aluminumheatsink, water barbs and 1200MHz operating frequency, OCZ may have giventhe world some of the fastest memory on the planet. Altec Lansing iMV712 Portable Audio / Video System @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-02-07] (0 Comments) The iPod is the most popular MP3 player on the market. Altec Lansinghas been making portable speaker systems for the iPod for quite some timenow. With the success of the iPod Video Altec Lansing is now offeringconsumers a chance to not only be able to easily listen to media from theiriPod, but watch it too. The Altec Lansing iMV712 is a portable audio systemthat features an 8.5-inch widescreen high resolution display so you caneasily watch movies and other media from your iPod Video. Logitech Skype Cordless Internet Handset @ bonafidereviews.com [Jun-29-07] (0 Comments) Skype has been on the offensive lately, offering itself as a cheap alternative to a traditional landline. Unlike GoogleTalk, or other chat programs, Skype has the ability to make calls to landlines and vice versa (SkypeOut and SkypeIn respectively). Although these services charge, the cost for a full year is about the same as 1 month’s cell phone bill. As its popularity has increased, so has third party support, with companies like Logitech producing Skype handsets and wireless phones. Spire Pininfarina @ techpowerup.com [Jun-27-07] (0 Comments) The Spire Pininfarina is a very unique case, designed by the Italian design studio. The 6 mm thick aluminum and steel body make this case really heavy. It is a real back breaker if you plan to carry this one to a LAN party. The unique looks also continue with the butterfly doors, which make for some very simple installation. Netgear DG834GT @ tekbunker.com [Jun-26-07] (0 Comments) The DG834GT gives you instant connectivity with or without wires, and works with your existing 802.11b devices as well as your new 54 Mbps 802.11g and Super G devices. A built-in ADSL modem furnishes direct, always-on Internet connectivity and multi-user access sharing at speeds up to 140 times faster than dial-up. This powerful router distributes MP3s, digital movies and photos with ultra-fast 10/100 switched LAN ports capable of speeds of 200 Mbps, and shares a single IP address with up to 253 users. Thermaltake VF1000BNS Lanbox @ rbmods.com [Jun-25-07] (0 Comments) Computers have gotten smaller lately and people have started buyinglaptops instead of desktop computers. There are smaller solutions on themarket if you want a desktop computer and Thermaltake has come out with anew case called Lanbox. The Lanbox has features so you can for example mounta 5.25 inch screen on the front of the case and make it a portable lancomputer. We will test the case out and see how well all the parts fit andalso try out the quality on this case. Cooler Master Real Power Pro 650W PSU @ viperlair.com [Jun-19-07] (0 Comments) At first glance, we can see that a total of 191 Watts are provided on the +3.3v and +5v rails, 540W on the +12v rail, 9.6W on the negative rails, and 17.5W on the +5v rail (for USB) giving us 650W total. The Real Power Pro is rated for a maximum of 780W but under normal circumstances (that's equipped in a PC that will max it out) it runs at 650W continuous. The Real Power Pro also has triple +12v rails (peaks of 19A across the board). Additional rails will aid in keeping a system stable as you can separate devices based on power consumption into the rails of your choosing. NZXT @ techpowerup.com [Jun-16-07] (0 Comments) NZXT has some very unique cases on display in their suite at the Hyatt. The Rouge is the ultimate LAN party case, without the usual space restrictions or thermal problems. You will also find some high quality mainstream enclosures, power supplies and notebook cooling pads in the suite. Altec Lansing T515 Bluetooth Speaker System @ bluetomorrow.com [Jun-15-07] (0 Comments) The Altec Lansing Bluetooth speakers allow owners to stream music wirelessly from their cell phones. Imagine coming home, pointing your cell phone at your Bluetooth speaker and voila, music starts playing. How about going to the beach and easily listening to music without having to lug around a heavy boom box. With the T515, all you need is your cell phone and the Bluetooth speaker system. :Altec Lansing T515 Bluetooth Speaker System @ bluetomorrow.com [Jun-15-07] (0 Comments) The Altec Lansing Bluetooth speakers allow owners to stream> music wirelessly from their cell phones. Imagine coming home, pointing> your cell phone at your Bluetooth speaker and voila, music starts> playing. How about going to the beach and easily listening to music> without having to lug around a heavy boom box. With the T515, all you> need is your cell phone and the Bluetooth speaker system. Armageddon for Nintendo Wii @ bit-tech.net [Jun-10-07] (0 Comments) In the end, Armageddon is clearly flawed in several areas anddoesn't come close to making the most of the Wii's unique capabilities.On the other hand it is the best beat-em-up currently available for theWii and will definitely be of interest to violent nine year olds.It is the classic trade-off - it doesn't play as well as something likeSoul Calibur but could quite easily last twice as long if youfocused on getting 100 percent complete. Of course, only die-hard MortalKombatfans would put that much effort into a game which is otherwisethoroughly average, balancing off control and game issues with sheerquantity of players and unlockables. Guild or No Guild @ thinkgaming.org [Jun-07-07] (0 Comments) With any type of game that has online capabilities guilds and clanspopup. These are groups of people that play the game together whether it'sdoing quests together or playing matches against another guild. Today wewill be discussing the pros and cons to being in a guild and how you goabout joining or starting a guild. [News] Thecus N5200 NAS Server @ virtual-hideout.net [Jun-06-07] (0 Comments) It's fast, it's small enough to be transported to LAN parties andhas an incredibly powerful yet simple interface. While the average userisn't going to want to spend $1000 on a NAS, there is a large section ofsmall businesses who should be VERY interested in this. LAN organizersshould check this out, photographers, video editing, people with largecollections of media, and anyone who wants a central file server that doesgigabit speeds. Steelpad QcK Heavy Gaming Mousepad @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-05-07] (0 Comments) Mousepads may not be a big deal to some, but for many gamers it is akey component to gaming. The Steelpad QcK Heavy, brought to you by SteelSeries, offers every aspect that a gamer needs to succeed in theirtournaments, clan matches, and casual gaming. Let's take a further look tosee if it really stands up to the title of professional gaming equipment. iriver X20 Portable Media Player @ thetechlounge.com [Jun-05-07] (0 Comments) I've been a fan of iriver products for a while now. Like many electronicscompanies they are primarily based overseas. As such, we in the States missout on a handful of nifty little gadgets that our Asian or European brothersand sisters have in abundance. In fact, iriver showcased a select fewnon-U.S. market devices at CES '07. I have to admit, I didn't give themmuch of a glance as I figured we'd never see them again. Not so. Today I'llbe playing with the iriver X20, a 4GB media player that runs with the likeof the iPod nano and Sansa E200 line of PMPs. But don't expect to find oneat your local Best Buy or Circuit City. The X20 is available online fromour product sponsor, but is this little bit of gray-market goodness worthexploring? Thermaltake LanBox SFF Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-04-07] (0 Comments) LAN parties and events have becoming more and more popular. Iremember going to my first LAN event over 5 years ago. I think there werearound 10 of us, but it still was great fun. Now LAN events have attendancesof over 1000 gamers. The biggest problem I had with going to LAN events waslugging all my gear there. I often ended up breaking something on my case orsomething inside of it. Well Thermaltake is here to make things easy foryou. They have recently released the LanBox case, which is a small formfactor (SFF) case that is made just for LAN parties. Let's take a look! QPAD UC mouse pad @ modders-inc.com [Jun-04-07] (0 Comments) Looking for a portable mouse pad to take to lan parties? The QPADUC is 3-millimeters thick, uncoated, wide yet portable. Whether you're onthe go or sitting at home, the QPAD UC is versatile enough to handle thetask. Koolance 1200W Liquid Cooled Power Supply @ pcper.com [May-29-07] (0 Comments) The Koolance 1,200W liquid cooled power supply is unique! It's big,bad, and beautiful; and features an integrated submersive cooling system.This power supply can deliver a full 1,200 watts of DC power and it can doit quietly and efficiently. Voltage regulation was very good and activePFC, modular sleeved cables, and blue LED lighting effects are icing on thecake. OCZ GameXStream 1010 Watt Power Supply ed @ hi-techreviews.com [May-26-07] (0 Comments) When I unplugged the X1900XT from my system and plugged in the 8800GTS 640 I knew a power supply chance was in my future since I could not evenget a fan to spin. Thankfully, OCZ had sent over their largest power supplythe 1000 watt rated GameXStream for us to review. This was impeccabletiming since the second 8800 GTS that we ordered arrived the very same day.So come on along and check out the results of how well this power plant of apower supply performs. Ubidays 2007 coverage @ bit-tech.net [May-24-07] (0 Comments) We were lucky enough to get sneak peeks at the continuing developmenton games like Assassin’s Creed, Haze, Splinter Cell:Conviction and TomClancy’s Endwar, as well as a few other titles planned for later in theyear. Of course, as I found out myself when attending the event, there’s noreal way to gently introduce these games to you. We can only reallydive right in and have a look at Ubisoft has got in store for gamersthis year. Third Life:The line blurs between virutal and reality @ bonafidereviews.com [May-23-07] (0 Comments) Virtual Worlds.You've probably all seen them before in science fiction in comics. Worlds where jacking in via VR helmet or Neuro Implant send us to some fantastical internet life separate from our real one. It's quite a dream that's for sure, except it might not be as much of a dream as we once thought. Though we are decades away from Samsung SGH-i710 Windows Mobile 5 smartphone ed @ tweaktown.com [May-22-07] (0 Comments) Samsung is a huge electronics brand and has gained a lot of popularity in the mobile phone market, even though it cannot compete with the giants like Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola, it is still quite amazing how many new models Samsung brings out each year. Today we are having a look at the SGH-i710 which is a Windows Mobile 5 powered handset. Although many Windows Mobile powered devices tend to be quite similar, Samsung has done a fantastic job to make the SGH-i710 stand out from the crowd.Although the handset we had a look at was the Chinese version, the SGH-i718, overall functionality is the same and so are all the hardware features, the main difference being the language on the handset and some applications. The SGH-i718 has been available on the Chinese market for some time, but the SGH-i710 only became available earlier this year. Intel China's Modding Expo show report @ bit-tech.net [May-22-07] (0 Comments) Celebrity endorsements are a powerful marketing tool:womenspendbillions on cosmetics because a movie star tells them “they’re worthit”. Thousands of weekend golfers lap up Nike equipment to “be likeTiger”. But would the same thing work for a product like a processor?Faced with the challenge of sexing-up CPUs as part of a domesticmarketing push, Intel China devised an impressively progressive plan:tap into the talent of the worldwide modding community to combinebeauty on the outside with speed and power efficiency on the inside. Gigabyte Dual Quad Returns, P35-DQ6 motherboard is here @ tweaktown.com [May-22-07] (0 Comments) Gigabyte has jumped on the P35 bandwagon already with some of its new boards being available in Taiwan for over a week, and now fully available in Australia; Gigabyte has quite a few models planned.Today's test board from Gigabyte is the P35-DQ6 that is designed around the Dual Quad architecture that made the P965-DQ6 such a performer. Does the P35-DQ6 have what it takes to follow in those footsteps? Let us find out. Ideazon Reaper Optical Gaming Mouse @ techpowerup.com [May-21-07] (0 Comments) The Ideazon Reaper is a very unique mouse with a cool red Ideazon logo, which is sure to attract some attention at dark LAN parties. Due to its shape it is unsuitable for left-handed gamers. Right handed players will find the mouse to be quite comfortable and the software is solid, with a fair amount of customization features. This all makes for a good alround gaming device. Lost Planet DirectX 10 impressions @ bit-tech.net [May-21-07] (0 Comments) There's no doubt about it, Capcom has come up aces with the PCversion of Lost Planet.This may only be a demo we were playing with, but if the code playsthis well in its un-optimised and unfinished form then we can't wait tosee what the final game will look like. True, the game isn't flawlessat this point; the A.I proved itself to be a foolish beast and therewere a few times when clipping issues ruined otherwise gorgeous scenesof gory Akrid-slaughtering gaming. Lost Planet DX9 Vrs DX10 Screen Shots @ hothardware.com [May-21-07] (0 Comments) The screenshots above were taken with the DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 versionsof the Lost Planet demo running on GeForce 8800 GTX using the latest WindowsVista drivers available from NVIDIA. The game was configured for aresolution of 1280x720, with 8X anti-aliasing and 16X anisotropic filteringenabled. If you flip through the screenshots and compare the two versions,you'll see that visually they don't differ very much at all. The motionblur effect is more pronounced in the DX10 shots and it gives the game amore realistic look that's not conveyed well over still captures. Otherthan that, those of you with DX9-class video cards really aren't missing outon much, if anything at all with this title. LTB MG51 Magnum 5.1 USB Headset @ techgage.com [May-21-07] (0 Comments) Sound. To a gamer it's the hinge pin of gaming. You needit to surviveand with the advent of multi channel sound solutions there's no excusefor living with old school 2.0 setups, even when you're lanning ortrying to game without disturbing others. Today we take a look at a setof headphones that are 5.1 and feature their ownbuilt in amp and sound decoding. DFI LanParty ICFX3200-T2R/G @ techgage.com [May-21-07] (0 Comments) If you are planning on buying an Intel motherboard,chances are it hasan Intel or NVIDIA chipset. Where does ATI fit in? DFI's ICFX3200features the RD600 chipset, and we will see how it compares to otherboards we've reviewed in the past. HIS X1550 IceQ @ overclockersonline.net [May-14-07] (0 Comments) HIS has put together another package that triumphs over the other twoX1550s Overclockers Online has looked at in the past. The card balancesgreat performance to price and noise level. The only hurting factor has tobe the fact that HIS does not make dual DVI a standard feature. Questing Through Hellfire Peninsula @ thinkgaming.org [May-11-07] (0 Comments) We talked about Hellfire Peninsula in our Burning Crusade report.Hellfire Peninsula is in Outland and is where you will be doing most of yourquesting once you pass through the Dark Portal. So in this week's WoW Reportwe will go through some of the more interesting quests in HellfirePeninsula. AsylumLAN 28 @ techgage.com [May-11-07] (0 Comments) Now on their 28th party, AsylumLAN is currently the babyof Derek Altec Lansing AHP524 Headphones @ techgage.com [May-10-07] (0 Comments) In the market for inexpensive studio headphones? AltecLansing mighthave just what you need. We were impressed with the sound qualitydisplayed here. Though it doesn't have any bells and whistles, it'sprice is right. Nvidia's GeForce 8800 Ultra ed @ bit-tech.net [May-02-07] (0 Comments) There’s nothing more to really say about GeForce 8800 Ultrawithoutrepeating ourselves. It’s definitely not a graphics card for everyone,but if you’re looking for the fastest graphics card on the planet andhave a monitor that can show the benefits of its power, you don’t needto look much further than Nvidia’s GeForce 8800 Ultra. Crucial PC5300 2x1GB @ eclipseoc.com [Apr-30-07] (0 Comments) Who doesn't love cheap computer hardware? Today, we take a look at Crucial's 2x1GB DDR2-667 kit, which comes in at $120 at the time of writing. Can it compete with the more expensive performance kits? We plan to find out. Nvidia nForce 680i LT motherboard ed, DFI UT SLI-T2R on trial @ tweaktown.com [Apr-27-07] (0 Comments) 680i LT is the bridge that everyone has been looking for. Its design implements the most important feature we wanted to see, full-speed SLI, with two PCI Express x16 slots running at full x16 speeds, one running off the SPP and one off the MCP. The 680i LT lacks the extra 8 lanes that a full fledged 680i SLI has for a physics engine setup, however, there are ways around this, as even the latest hardware dedicated card from Ageia only requires a PCI slot, so a single PCI Express x1 slot should give these cards all they need. Thermaltake Soprano DX Case @ xyzcomputing.com [Apr-27-07] (0 Comments) The Soprano DX is one of Thermaltake midtowers and though it's exterior is quite different the interior and chassis are practically identical to that of the Bach VX. A quick glance at the Soprano would have us believe that it is quite different from a case like the Bach VX and, if you are only concerned with the exterior, this is true. The Soprano DX is has a Thermaltake LANBOX VF1000BWS mATX Case @ bigbruin.com [Apr-25-07] (0 Comments) The rear exhaust fans draw air in through vents on either side and the top, while the intake fan helps out by pushing filtered air in through the front. Despite the dual 60mm exhaust fans and the one 90mm fan in the front, the Thermaltake LANBOX VF1000BWS mATX Case remains extremely quiet while providing sufficient cooling to the internal components. Internet radio editorial @ bit-tech.net [Apr-22-07] (0 Comments) With the new fees that the RIAA has dictated through itsfront-end theCopyright Royalty Board (let's be honest, there is no semblance ofindependence in the board after this), a large majority of the Internetradio stations will be bankrupted come May 15th. Of course, those thatstick around will be the ones that played a low variety of songs andappealed to the widest audience for advertising dollars. ECS 965PLT-A Motherboard – Intel 946GZ Chipset Tested @ tweaktown.com [Apr-19-07] (0 Comments) ECS (Elitegroup Computer Systems) has been good enough to supply us with its latest model called the 965PLT-A. While the board has “965” in its name, it does not actually feature a 965 chipset. In fact it is based on the new 946GZ chipset from Intel, designed with the new GMA 3000 graphics chip embedded in the northbridge.We plan to test this chipset to see how it performs compared to a 6200 TurboCache graphics card as well as our normal tests with the Radeon X1950Pro. So come have a look at the latest board to cross our labs. XFX GeForce 8600GTS XXX – nVidia's new mainstream DX10 is here! @ tweaktown.com [Apr-17-07] (0 Comments) New graphics cards are great, especially when they are in the “affordable for most people” range. nVidia’s GeForce 8600 and 8500 series has been a long waited product. Why? Most importantly it’s the first affordable DirectX 10 capable graphics card from any company and nVidia even have Windows Vista drivers ready for the new range of cards at launch time.This product is so good for the market for two reasons - the first is that consumers who don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on a PC can now buy something that is going to offer support for the next generation of graphics (DX10 / Shader Model 4.0 with games like Crysis, Alan Wake and UT2007 coming). The second is because more people will be able to buy these GeForce 8500 and 8500 cards with it’s much more attractive price tag, game makers will have even more reason to put resources into making DirectX 10 supported games. The latter is something that is seriously lacking at the moment but the games are on their way slowly but surely. Altec Lansing inMotion iM500 Ultra-Portable iPod nano Speakers @ thetechlounge.com [Apr-17-07] (0 Comments) Today I'll be taking a look at a set of ultra-portable iPod nano speakers from Altec Lansing, the inMotion iM500. And I really meanultra-portable; this thing fits in my pocket (looks quite strange there, but it does fit). Some say size doesn't matter, but in theback of my mind I'm already concerned that Altec Lansing may have gone with form over function with this little 'fella. DFI LANParty UT ICFX3200-T2R/G @ nordichardware.com [Apr-16-07] (0 Comments) There are quite a few motherboards to choose from for the Intel Socket 775, but most of them are based on Intel's P965 or 975X chipset. They have both been around for some time now and lately we've noticed the launch of a couple of new chipsets from other manufacturers. Among these we have NVIDIA 680i, 650i and ATI RD600. DFI Lanparty UT NF590 SLI-M2R/G @ eclipseoc.com [Apr-16-07] (0 Comments) Does DFI's NF590 SLI based AM2 motherboard live up to their past legacy Powercolor X1550 SCS @ overclockersonline.net [Apr-15-07] (0 Comments) PowerColor has put together an excellent offer for those looking to balance performance, price, and noise level. The X1550 512MB SCS comes with dual DVI connectors, which is very important with the popularity of dual LCD configurations, and a custom cooler that effectively reduces the cards heat without adding an ounce of noise. [News] Koolance CPU-330 & CHC-120-V10 Water Blocks @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-13-07] (0 Comments) These blocks are designed to cool any processor with great resultsand will make a great addition to your current water cooling system andgiven the new pricing across most of Koolance's product lines, both theKoolance CPU-330 and CHC-120-V10 are excellent buys making new Koolancewater cooling systems more... Saitek GH50 Surround Sound Headset @ techpowerup.com [Apr-12-07] (0 Comments) The Saitek GH50 may look quite normal at first glance and even though it is very light, the headset packs quite a punch. As soon as the SRS is turned on, you may never want to go back to using those normal stereo variants. We try the GH50 with games, movies and music after taking a close look and let you know if it really fares as good as it sounds. The Burning Crusade @ thinkgaming.org [Apr-12-07] (0 Comments) It has been a while since we have published a WoW Report. The mainreason was because I was not playing the game that much. Now the expansionThe Burning Crusade is out so it's time to get back into the game! We aregoing to try to make this a once a week feature published every Thursday. Soin this week's WoW report we will show you the new area called Outland andtell you a little about our questing in this area. PowerColor Radeon X1950 Pro SCS3 passively cooled graphics card @ bit-tech.net [Apr-11-07] (0 Comments) At a first glance, the fins on PowerColor’s Radeon X1950 ProSCS3heatsink look a bit like some kind of grill when they’re laid downflat. Maybe there’s room for a bit of a fire under the heatsink fins,making it ideal for flame grilling your meat. Despite this being thecase, we sadly didn’t get the chance to test PowerColor’s Radeon X1950Pro SCS3 as a barbeque. Being the bunch of geeks that we are, we didn’thave any streaks of bacon in the office fridge while we were testing.Hopefully, next time, we’ll remember to pop to the supermarket on theway to work. BlackBerry 8800 @ xyzcomputing.com [Apr-11-07] (0 Comments) The softening of the BlackBerry's edges, even in a business model like this one, is due to the influence of the Pearl. The Pearl was their first model to use the trackball and have the slick new design, an aspect that previous models lacked. A quick glance at the Pearl (aka the 8100) and then at the 8800 will reveal how closely they are related. Of course the 8800 is larger, due to the use of a QWERTY keyboard, but both are slim and stylish. Compared to the stubbier 8700, both of these phones are more attractive and prove conclusively that business does not have to be boring. Thermaltake LANBOX Lite @ techpowerup.com [Apr-11-07] (0 Comments) The Lanbox Lite is geared toward the budget minded user, while still giving you all the benefits of its more expensive Lanbox brethren. With a large price difference of around 30-40 USD and no major differences, besides the front of the case, this is an easy choice for anyone wanting an affordable small form factor case. We try it out and let you know if it is just as good as the bigger, more expensive variant. Thermaltake LAN Box HT Micro ATX Case @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Apr-10-07] (0 Comments) Today we look at another one of the new products for 2007 the LanBoxHT, this is a SSF based case, that supports Micro ATX mobos. Thermaltakehave released a LanBox already though so what could be different about thisone? well the answer is a simple one, the HT version has a redesigned frontas well as some other features that make the HT mean Home Theatre. Does itcut it as a HTPC enclosure as well as a LAN case? Well let us find out. [News] OCZ 2x1GB PC2-6400 Flex XLC DDR2 Memory Kit @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-10-07] (0 Comments) OCZ felt there was a customer base willing to pay for a good,reliable CAS Latency 4 memory kit that sports the FlexXLC RAM Sink sincetheir flagship PC2-9200 FlexXLC Kit requires a prettier penny. After usingthe memory for a local INTEL sponsored LAN party, it definitely drew somevery curious users looking for something new to add to their extreme gamingsystems. Sunbeamtech UFO Acrylic Cube Case @ windows-1250 [Apr-09-07] (0 Comments) Are you looking for a project? Are you short on room? Do you want toshow off your inner components? If your answers to these three questions areyes then this case is for you. The Sunbeamtech UFO Acrylic Cube Case is asmall cube blank canvas for those that are into projects and have componentsthat they want to show off to others. Is this the case for you? Could be,but we will leave that decision to you. [News] SunbeamTech UFO Acrylic Cube Case @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-05-07] (0 Comments) In this article I will be reviewing the UFO Acrylic Case fromSunbeam. This case is 100% clear and comes in a low profile cube. Two levelsoffer easy installation of components, and it even has some extra room forwatercooling gear. The UFO Acrylic Cube case also comes with two clear 120mmfans with blue LED's. If you plan on showing off your prized hardware inthis clear case, I would suggest getting some hard drive enclosures and niceoptical drive to compliment the other hardware, as everyone will be able tosee everything. Corsair Dominator 9136C5D and 10000C5DF memory ed @ bit-tech.net [Apr-03-07] (0 Comments) If money is no object and you want the absolute best money canbuy thenthere is simply no alternative available to Corsair's PC-10000Dominator memory. It's how Corsair has targeted this memory and how wehave skewed the final scores accordingly. You are simply not going tobe concerned with the poor value score if you are thinking of buyingeither of these memory kits.But for those very few who are confused and wondering what to throw alarge chunk of money at in a new system, then there are just too manyother factors, like motherboard choice, that overrule any pureperformance increase from just memory alone. You could make someeducated buying decisions and concentrate on building a more balancedsystem with better-value performance increases. That's not to say youdon't need performance memory, because of the cumulative effects itprovides as a fundamental system resource. Plantronics Explorer 350 Bluetooth Headset @ bluetomorrow.com [Apr-03-07] (0 Comments) The Plantronics Explorer 350 has a sleek, ultramodern design which looks great and offers unparalleled comfort. Its single multifunction button makes it easy to use and allows for excellent call control. The Explorer 350 can be charged using both the included USB cable or car charger. The car accessories make it extremely mobile?exactly what you should be looking for in a Bluetooth headset. Saitek GK200 Tactile Gaming Keyboard @ techpowerup.com [Apr-03-07] (0 Comments) The Saitek GK200 may look like a normal keyboard, but it is geared toward gamers, who are on a budget and would like a normal sized input device. The gaming keys are a great feature while the Audio and USB 2.0 connector round up for a well balanced gaming keyboard - all for the price of a normal one. articles::Intel drops Nehalem bomb. Integrated memory controller and graphics to come in '08. @ hexus.net [Mar-29-07] (0 Comments) Integrated memory controllers, new system architectures,boosted Core microarchitecture performance were just some of thetopics covered. Read on to find out how Intel is planning to executeits CPU roadmap for the next 18 months, and why some of it might comeas a shock. Enzotech Ultra-X Active CPU Cooler @ pcper.com [Mar-28-07] (0 Comments) The Ultra-X active CPU cooler from Enzotech places right near thetop with the best CPU coolers on the market today. It delivers excellentperformance, offers a broad operating range, and looks great. The speed ofthe included 120mm fan can be adjusted to provide the right balance ofcooling performance and noise. Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case @ modders-inc.com [Mar-28-07] (0 Comments) Antec has put a lot of thought into their Nine Hundred UltimateGamer Case; well you would have to when you make a claim like that. They didadd a lot of features that LAN goers will like and use. With maximum coolingand looks a must Antec set out to make a great case, but is it the UltimateGamer Case? NZXT Nemesis Elite @ aoaforums.com [Mar-27-07] (0 Comments) All computer related parts have evolved very fast during the last decade. The computer cases were not left out from this evolution. The simple beige cases that you probably still see on older systems are becoming extinct. Cases have come a long way, so nowadays there seems to be a case matching not only a group of people but individual styles as well. One portion of the case market are the gaming cases, which are supposed to be light and not too big in order to be carried easily to LAN parties for example, but also to be very good looking in order to draw attention to them. The functionality of the case is a major concern too. Today we will present you a very good looking, high quality gaming case from NZXT, the Nemesis Elite case, which is probably one of the most easily identifiable and feature-rich gaming case available currently. Let us see how much effort NZXT put on this case while designing it and building it. bit-tech.net Feature:The Ratings Game @ bit-tech.net [Mar-23-07] (0 Comments) To that effect, it's abroad misconception held by European gamers thatthe US ratings system is its own problem, or that what affects it won'taffect the European markets. Many big publishing houses (and a bulk ofdeveloper studios) reside in the US, and it accounts for a tremendousamount of game sales. Therefore, the cries from Congress for a harsherrating system there, more government oversight, or even chains likeWal-mart flexing moral muscle by refusing to carry certain ratings willalter the games that the industry releases as a whole. When such alarge market ends up closed off to a game, there may be too manydevelopment costs for it to ever be profitable. Add to that the realitythat the legal enforcement idea of the UK simply couldn't beeffectively implemented nationwide in the US (too much land to cover)and you've got a problem desperately needing a solution. quoted-printable encoded unnecessarily @ bigbruin.com [Mar-21-07] (0 Comments) This motherboard comes packed with many features sure to make an enthusiast happy. The ECS PN2-SLI2+ supports the hugely popular Intel Core 2 Duo processors, along with all other socket 775 processors (even Core 2 Quad processors are supported). The board also supports SATA2 and comes with a built-in RAID controller allowing you to create RAID arrays in several configurations. Gigabit LAN (with two LAN ports) is also provided on this motherboard, as are three PCI Express slots (2 of which are capable of running modern video cards in SLI for increased performance). A field guide to cryptography @ bit-tech.net [Mar-21-07] (0 Comments) Cryptography - the very word speaks of mystery, secrets, and agoodstoryline. In fact, what most of us know about the subject revolvesaround exactly those terms. Its history and usage are often portrayedas shrouded secrets, where the only data valuable enough to deservesuch treatment involves the national security of some nation. For mostof us, the very concept brings up images of the CIA or MI6.Hollywood and suspense writers have done little to disabuse us of thisnotion, with some of the greatest novels and movies focusing around thecloak and dagger portrayal of coded messages. That image isn't entirelywrong, either - even back before medieval times, cryptography was usedto conceal plans to overthrow governments and assassinate churchleaders. Computers have been a tremendous aid to that, allowing muchmore complex algorithms, elaborate keys and longer messages. Logitech Alto Notebook Stand @ xyzcomputing.com [Mar-19-07] (0 Comments) So what makes the Alto different from the rest of the notebook stands available? A quick glance will reveal most of the important details. The main one is the integrated keyboard. This is full keyboard, with number pad, built right into the Alto. (In fact the product appears in the keyboard section of Logitech's web site.) The next important thing to notice is the size- this is not a toy that slightly elevates the rear your notebook, it is a full-sized tool that is 19.1 GeForce 8800 Ultra to Launch with the 8600 Series @ ngohq.com [Mar-15-07] (0 Comments) According to several of NVIDIA's partners, NVIDIA is planning to release their GeForce 8800 Ultra together with the soon to be released GeForce 8600 series. The word in the halls is saying that NVIDIA is planning to release several GPU's on the same day. The 8300 GS, 8400 GS, 8500 GT, 8600 GT, 8600 GTS and the new 'monster', the 8800 Ultra. According to the same sources, the GeForce 8800 Ultra will be an overclocked version of the 8800 GTX aimed to deal with the upcoming threat from ATI's R600. The exact specification and technical details are still unknown at this stage. It is known that many of NVIDIA's partners are preparing for a hard launch.It is also rumored that NVIDIA is planning to end the life of the GeForce 7 line on the 28th of April though none of our sources have agreed to give us the exact release date. According to other reports, it is the 17th of April, but it still unofficial. On another note, some of our sources have told us that they will release an AGP version of the GeForce 7900 GS and 7950 GT to compete with ATI's latest AGP solution - the Radeon X1950 PRO AGP. It seems that you can already find these appearing on the market and available through limited sources. Saitek GM3200 Laser Mouse @ techpowerup.com [Mar-15-07] (0 Comments) The Saitek GM3200 may be bigger than most other gaming mice, but it is so for a reason. The customizable weight system as well as a slew of programmable buttons in two modes and an on-the-fly DPI switch make this one of the most versatile mice out there. The great paint job, bright lighting and backlit Saitek logo make this mouse perfect for modding fans and LAN party gamers. Altec Lansing iM510 Portable Sansa Speakers @ thetechlounge.com [Mar-13-07] (0 Comments) Portable external speakers have become a hot seller in the portable media player arena. Altec Lansing was at the forefront of thepersonal media player aftermarket and introduced several products for the iPod. Now they've seen it fit to customize a speaker setfor the Sansa c200 and e200 lines. And rightly so. These little players are challenging the market share of the iPod Nano andShuffle and deserve a little respect. Maybe glossy black will make a comeback just as pearly white has become an iconic symbol? Toshiba Portege M400 Tablet @ xyzcomputing.com [Mar-12-07] (0 Comments) This review will be looking at Toshiba's Portege M400, their tablet most closely related to the M6. Looking at the two we can see that the two have much in common and despite a few changes to the components (Toshiba uses a number of different SKUs for each model, this being the M400-S4032) there is not much to differentiate one from the other. Despite the M400's seemingly bland exterior (and spec sheet), Toshiba is one the industry's more popular tablet manufacturers. Their upcoming R400 is one of the most highly anticipated tablet PCs ever and other models have strong followings. Up to this point Toshiba has not focused on innovation with their tablets so much as they have price and dependability, as we will see with the M400. [News] Gigabyte 3D Aurora 570 ATX Chassis @ virtual-hideout.net [Mar-12-07] (0 Comments) Side loading hard drive case, optical drive latches that don't getlost, quiet cooling that works. Quality workmanship, sturdy and the generalopinion that it has excellent looks and lots of room for my stuff. It isdefinitely a high end case, and great for anyone who wants a lightweightaluminum case for Lans Hangar 101 scratch-built mod @ bit-tech.net [Feb-27-07] (0 Comments) Max Erlandsson, aka SleepStreamer, is another talented modderto hailfrom Sweden. Whilst most people were busy enjoying the Christmasfestivities, Max was busily toiling away with the various powertools athis disposal, coming up with what has turned out to be an awesome newmod. Cyber Snipa Intelliscope Laser Mouse @ xyzcomputing.com [Feb-23-07] (0 Comments) The button configuration gives the mouse seven buttons total- the two primary ones, the wheel, forward/back buttons on the left side, one on the top of the mouse (back from the wheel), and one on the right side. The last two on this list are not self-explanatory so- in case you were wondering- the one on top toggles the sensitivity while the right one spans the entire length where two left buttons are placed and is programmable with no default function. The sensitivity button on the top switches the mouse between two settings:Stealth (red LEDs, 1000 dpi) and ATAK (blue LEDs, 2400 dpi). The change is instantaneous and can be done very quickly, a great feature for games where you may need to get more accurate in a hurry. OCZ ProXStream 1000 watt Power Supply @ tweaktown.com [Feb-23-07] (0 Comments) Fast forward more than half a decade and you will see that the business plan of OCZ hasn’t changed much. While the pre-overclocked components aren’t their bread and butter anymore, they still create a product line that is specifically aimed toward the enthusiast crowd. They have expanded their lineup to include such items as high-performance memory, flash media, video boards and power supplies, just to name a few of the new items.This brings us to today’s article, the ProXStream 1000 power supply. As the name implies, it is rated at a whopping 1000 watts of power and reportedly has some features that OCZ feels will set it apart from the other guys. So relax a bit as we delve deeper into the latest high-end PSU from OCZ. While past accomplishments are nice, it won’t mean anything for this piece. We’ll run this thing through the gauntlet and see how it performs. Altec Lansing FX4021 2.1 Speakers @ thetechlounge.com [Feb-23-07] (0 Comments) The demand for 2.1 speakers such as Altec Lansing's FX4021 is quite high. Available for as little as $100 this speaker set is veryappealing to anyone who wants sound to kick a little harder than when it eeks out of their earbuds. But the question that must beanswered is, how much bang do you really get for your buck? Dell's XPS 710 H2C Performance Gaming System - Evaluation @ hothardware.com [Feb-20-07] (0 Comments) The Dell XPS 710 H2C Edition is billed as a top-of-the-lineultra-performance machine built with the most hardcore of gamers in mind, aniche that Alienware is very familiar with. Not only does the XPS 710 H2Chold the distinction of being Dell's first non-limited edition factoryoverclocked computer, it also uses Dell's first in-house liquid coolingsystem to keep it's quad-core power plant cool. The XPS 710 H2C is the mostheavily performance-specified XPS system yet, with an Intel Core 2 QX6700processor, dual GeForce 8800 GTXs, 4 GB of RAM and two Western DigitalRaptors in a RAID 0 array, as standard equipment. We recently got our handson one and we've been putting it through its paces, as it ripped through thebenchmarks in our labs. In Win F430 Xtreme Series ATX Gaming Case @ bigbruin.com [Feb-19-07] (0 Comments) So you're dying to own a Ferrari F430 but that $168,000 price tag is putting just a bit of a hitch in your plans. Well In Win has the answer and it will only set you back about $95 (US). OK, this may be a huge and outrageous stretch, but the styling cues, Ferrari red paint job, and even the name of the new In Win F430 Xtreme Series ATX Gaming Case leave little doubt where the inspiration for this case came from. Sharkoon Rush Laser Mouse @ techpowerup.com [Feb-15-07] (0 Comments) The Sharkoon Rush Laser mouse brings high DPI laser technology down to an affordable price range. For a mere 20 Euros you get up to 2000 DPI with variable on-the-fly switching, solid feel and build quality as well as a little pouch to get your weapon of choice to and back from a LAN party safely. We take the mouse for a spin and let you know if we feel the rush. News@Technic3D/Akasa Integral LAN @ technic3d.com [Feb-12-07] (0 Comments) The Akasa Integral LAN 3,5 SteelSeries SteelSound 3H @ techpowerup.com [Feb-11-07] (0 Comments) Today we will be taking a look at the recently launched and highly anticipated SteelSound 3H gaming headset, which should bring some quality audio to the low-/midrange headphone market. The headset can be folded together nicely to take up very little space in your LAN party backpack, for a very competitive price of $50. Antec Nine Hundred Mid-Tower Case @ thetechlounge.com [Feb-11-07] (0 Comments) Antec has built their reputation and great following by making conservative cases with outstanding build quality and a mind foracoustics. Even their portable, LAN-centric designs are utile and relatively subtle. The gamer case market is flooded with lessernames and less expensive, if garish, enclosures. What Antec doesn't do often, is change. When some people say timeless, others saydated. Their innovations rarely permeate through to the outsides of their cases, and it's safe to say they're not likely to fixwhat ain't broke. The Nine Hundred is a gamer's case; it's a surprise to see them drive with the body kit, phat pipe and groundlights guys. Will it deliver on the good construction by which Antec has made their name? Is it at all possible for it to managethe kind of silence that they're renowned for? Corsair TWIN2X2048-8888 and Asus 7900GS @ neoseeker.com [Feb-10-07] (0 Comments) Because it simply screamed when the right balance of FSB/CPU/memory speedwas achieved, and because I was able to hit a scorching 1131-4-4-4-12setting. Bluegears b-Cool 120mm Fan @ modders-inc.com [Feb-10-07] (0 Comments) Would you like to know how cool your computer is running at aglance? Well with the b-Cool fans you can do just that. With the b-Cool fansyou not only get a cooling fan, you get a temperature sensor/display. Theb-Cool 120 will show you the air temp, RPM of the fan, and also tell you itsstatus (Cool, Warm, or Hot). NVIDIA Vista Drivers Update:Future Plans Unveiled @ pcper.com [Feb-08-07] (0 Comments) NVIDIA told me that they planning to start releasing a new versionof their Forceware driver for Vista at least once every month. I say atleast because Diercks said that if they find several game fixes or bugs thatare substantial they may have intermittent releases as well to help appeasethe gaming masses. PCI-E x1 Graphics Performance with Galaxy GeForce 7300GT @ tweaktown.com [Feb-06-07] (0 Comments) There are three key reasons why a PCI-E x1 graphics card can work and we’ll show you why. Today we are checking out a GeForce 7300GT that utilizes DDR-3 memory and PCI-E x1 slot. We’re going to have a look at what environments this could work in before we have a closer look at the card itself.While we’re at it though, we will also have a look at it from a performance perspective in a low-end graphics card environment - is PCI-E x16 nothing more the marketing mumbo jumbo like AGP 8x vs. 4x (1056MB/s vs. 2112MB/s respectively) back in the day or is there actually a performance difference? Considering there is a total of 500MB/s of bandwidth (Single Data Lane - Both Directions) available on x1 slots compared to that of the huge 8000MB/s of bandwidth compared to x16 slots, it will be interesting. Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro @ gideontech.com [Feb-04-07] (0 Comments) In the included instructions it says that the surface was milled down specifically to work with their thermal grease for the best performance. Well, I don't know if that's true, but I'm always willing to give things a try, instead of cleaning the goop off the heatsink, I installed it as is. Don't worry though, I still plan to remove it and test again with the benchmark AS5. Ultra ChillTec Thermal Electric CPU Cooler @ modders-inc.com [Feb-03-07] (0 Comments) CPU cooling options are continually on the rise. Ranging frompassive heatsinks, heatpipe coolers, water cooling, and Peltier cooling toname a few. We are going to take a look at the ChillTec Thermal Electric CPUCooler from Ultra Products. The Ultra ChillTec is designed to balance theuse of thermo-electric and heat-pipe cooling to optimize your CPU cooling. [News] Thermaltake LANBOX Case @ virtual-hideout.net [Jan-31-07] (0 Comments) The Thermaltake LANBOX is a sleek, lightweight option for the way wehaul computer systems to and from LAN's. The overall weight with installedhardware was less than 25lbs, which is light compared to some cases thatweigh that much without anything installed. The small size doesn't meansmall components. The LANBOX can handle the high end graphics and CPU's.... [NippyChips] Surefire L2 LumaMax @ nippychips.com [Jan-29-07] (0 Comments) The Surefire L2 LumaMax is spectacular. It's not only small, but provides ample light for any application. Included in the box is everything needed to begin using the light, including batteries, and a lanyard. The L2 LumaMax also has an excellent metal clip that makes it a breeze to clip the light on a work bag, backpack, or even your pocket. Asus P5N-E SLI nForce 650i SLI @ hothardware.com [Jan-26-07] (0 Comments) The Asus P5N-E SLI uses a fairly standard design based on an ATXform factor and a sleek black PCB. Asus didn't take any huge chances withthe design here, but considering this board is targeted at the mid-rangemarket, they didn't really have to. Notable items upon first glance are thedual PCI Express x16 slots with SLI link adapter, the huge heatsinkpassively cooling the Northbridge, and a Southbridge which is not cooled byanything. Linksys iPhone CIT300 Dual-Mode Skype Phone @ thetechlounge.com [Jan-22-07] (0 Comments) The product we'll be taking a look at today is the iPhone CIT300 from Linksys. This isn't just your simple everyday cordless phonethough, because not only does it support your typical landline connection, but it's also compatible with Skype. If you're notfamiliar with Skype, it's simply a Voice Over IP (VoIP) service that allows you to talk to other Skype users on the computer forfree. The catch is that you both need to be at your computer in order to talk, using a microphone and speaker/headphone combinationor a headset of some sort. While it's great that you can make free PC-to-PC Antazone ASC-1000 CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jan-22-07] (0 Comments) If you take a new company and throw in a fresh design chances arethat you will come across something really interesting. Today we take a lookat a new cooler from Antazone and ask the question, should you consider itin your buying plans? News@Technic3D /Antec Nine Hundred @ technic3d.com [Jan-22-07] (0 Comments) The Antec Nine Hundred Gamer Tower is the next Case in the Tec hnic3D Editorship. Optimized for Gamer and Lan User included nice LED Fans. See you in the following Review which qualities the pre-modded C ase with Window presents. DFI LANParty UT ICFX3200 T2R/G ed @ bit-tech.net [Jan-19-07] (0 Comments) DFI's LANParty UT ICFX3200 T2R/G is mostly a motherboard forenthusiasts that want to get serious about overclocking. It's for thoseof you that took stuff apart as a child, then played with those bitsforlonger than they had when the toy / remote / Dad's new phone was in onepiece. For around £180 including VAT,the ICFX3200 T2R/G requires some serious investment, especially giventhat the heavily overclockable P965 boards top out at around the £140mark and the promising nForce 650i boards are even cheaper. However,it's still cheaper than most of the problem-free nForce 680i SLI mobosthat are £200+. In that respect, the board falls into a bit of niche, where it's stillan expensive motherboard (even more so considering it's the UT versionthat comes with a meagre bundle), but it's still not as serious of aninvestment as some boards on the market. So yeah, it's just like aFerrari. Akasa integral ESATA @ techpowerup.com [Jan-18-07] (0 Comments) Akasa has a full range of external hard drive enclosures. The integral line-up includes every connection variant from LAN and USB 2.0 to eSATA. The Akasa integral eSATA combines USB 2.0 and eSATA. You can also use an IDE or SATA drive with the enclosure. This makes the integral eSATA a very versatile enclosure. We use every possible combination and take a look at the performance of both connection types. Its stackable, sleek looks combined with the good performance make this a perfect choice for users who plan to use multiple external enclosures. Extended CES Coverage @ thetechlounge.com [Jan-16-07] (0 Comments) Even though CES has come and gone, our coverage still goes on. We raninto so many cool gadgets that we just didn't have time to write aboutthem all. Check out our Extended CES Coverage for even more cool toys suchas Cowon's new iAudio digial media players including the Q5, D2 and A3,Logitech's latest Harmony remote, the Harmony 1000, Altec Lansings newaudio products and more. Ultra X-Blaster ATX Case @ modders-inc.com [Jan-12-07] (0 Comments) What color? What form factor? What style? These are commonquestions we ask ourselves when looking for the right case. The options areplentiful and growing by the day. Deciding on which case to go with has alot to do with what you actually plan on doing with the computer. Today weare going to take a look at Ultra's newest case offering the X-Blaster. Asus and The Second Coming of The Lamborghini @ hothardware.com [Jan-12-07] (0 Comments) Opening the lid of the latest version of the Asus Lamborghini notebook, wesee that the aesthetics of the system have undergone a major facelift. Goneis the somewhat bland appearance of the previous model with a rich leatherpalm-rest with yellow piping taking its place. Golden accents and abiometric fingerprint reader add to the luxurious finish of the latestincarnation of the Lamborghini notebook. Getting ready for CES 2007 @ thetechlounge.com [Dec-30-06] (0 Comments) 2007 marks the 40th anniversary for the Consumer Electronics Showcase(CES), the largest technology convention in North America. This will bethe 4th consecutive year of TheTechLounge covering CES. It is nocoincidence that 2007 also marks TheTechLounge’s 4th anniversary. Theplanets and stars are aligning in preparation for this momentous occasion.Okay, so maybe I cranked up the cheese-factor on that one, but our CES2007 coverage will kick off an exciting and prosperous year for us, or atleast that’s the plan. This year, our coverage will be anything but moreof the same. For the past 3 years we have experimented with our CEScoverage, and we’ve learned much and I believe we’ve come up with aformula for some of the most comprehensive coverage seen anywhere; we hopeyou will agree. Altec Lansing FX5051 5.1 Speaker System @ thinkcomputers.org [Dec-27-06] (0 Comments) There are so many great speaker systems for your PC, from 2.1, 5.1, even 7.1 systems, but to use them to their fullpotential you need a top of the line sound card. This is the dilemma a lot of people face when going out to get a new set ofspeakers. Well Altec Lansing has solved your problems with the FX5051 5.1 Speaker System. The system is able to deliver 5.1 surroundsound without a 6-channel sound card, without any sound card at all! The FX5051 uses USB to bring surround sound to any computerwithout a sound card. Zalman Fatal1ty FC-ZE1 Champ1on Series Gaming Case @ pcper.com [Dec-20-06] (0 Comments) Going into this review I had high hopes for Zalman's new Fatal1tyenclosure =96 and I still do! In spite of a few rough edges I really likethis case. Overall, it is a very good chassis with just the right balanceof clean lines, functionality, and aggressive styling that I like. Thematerials, construction techniques, and build quality are excellent. Thelayout of the front panel is near perfect and the included red LED coolingfans and easy to use, vibration isolating HDD cage are great. SteelSound 4H Headphones @ modders-inc.com [Dec-20-06] (0 Comments) The SteelSound 4H headphones are simplified version of theSteelSound 5H v2 headphone and have a very close resemblance to the it'solder brother. So lets dig in and see if they knock our socks off again. Apevia XQpack AL/420 Aluminum case @ tekbunker.com [Dec-19-06] (0 Comments) At first glance this case looks amazing, very compact and lightweight with a lot of emphasis on the internal components, as the 3 windows allow you to see into all sections of the case. The case lid is a bit flimsy, but I highly doubt that taking the case lid on and off would cause it to deform, not if exercised with a little common sense. MIME encoded twice @ pro-clockers.com [Dec-18-06] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has always been at the forefront in their PC chassisdesigns, producing everything from LAN boxes to server chassis andeverything in-between. Today we are going to be looking at one of theirnewest releases, the Mozart TX, which Thermaltake calls their ideal homeentertainment center. The Mozart has a long list of innovative features thatwould make ideal for a HTPC as well as a high-end gamers/enthusiasts chassisto keep their hot running components running cool and quiet. Ultra MicroFly microATX case @ extensivemods.com [Dec-15-06] (0 Comments) Small form factor PC's can be found in all sorts of area's;those trying to save desk space, home theater PC's (HTPC), or gamerslooking for a fully functioning PC with portability to those frag festswe call LAN parties. The MicroFly microATX case from Ultra Products definitely caters to gamers heading toa frag fest. Today we'll be looking at two nearly identical cases fromUltra Products, one in blue with clear plastic sides and no PSU, theother black with solid sides including a 400-Watt PSU. Will these casestake off and fly, or crash and burn? Read on and find out! Review url:http://www.extensivemods.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=120 Image url:300x225 (http://www.extensivemods.com/siteimages/ultra/microfly/news.jpg )Alt Image url:150x100 (http://www.extensivemods.com/siteimages/ultra/microfly/news2.jpg )A post in your news would be appreciated. Remember to send us your newsat news@extensivemods.com and we will get it posted. Thank you andBest RegardsRichard richard@extensivemods.comHead ReviewerNews Poster news@extensivemods.comSite SupportExtensive Mods http://www.extensivemods.com/ News @ technic3d.com [Dec-09-06] (0 Comments) The NZXT LeXa Case is the next Midi Tower in the Technic3D Edi torship. See you in the following Review which qualities the case pres ents with a new Lan Style. Taiwan Exclusive – GeCube Dual GPU Radeon X1650XT Tested @ tweaktown.com [Dec-08-06] (0 Comments) This week we were given an exclusive opportunity to visit the GeCube office here in Taipei and test out their unreleased, highly anticipated and upcoming Gemini 2 dual GPU Radeon X1650XT graphic card. In the CPU game, everyone is talking about Quad but in the VGA game, Dual cards are on the mind at the moment.According to the product managers and marketing folks from GeCube who we talked with throughout our visit, the product is almost finished and will be ready and for sale early next year – that is, very early January, as long as everything goes to plan. That’s good news as GeCube as well as Gigabyte and ASUS (and the former XGI and probably many others behind closed doors) have tried producing dual GPU graphics cards in the past but they didn’t really turn out as planned. Seasonic M12 Modular 600W Power Supply @ madshrimps.be [Dec-06-06] (0 Comments) Gone are the cheapo power supplies of yesteryear. Processors today from both Intel and AMD require a power supply that can deliver a steady diet of power. The Seasonic name has become the standard of barrier in power supply from a distant land, China. We are looking into one of the new M12 Modular series today rated at 600 watts from Seasonic. [News] Thermaltake Armor LCS Liquid Cooled ATX Chassis @ virtual-hideout.net [Nov-30-06] (0 Comments) The Thermaltake Armor LCS features a 120x240mm front mountedradiator with dual 120mm fans sporting blue LEDs, a hefty CPU water blockwith an acrylic top and another blue LED, and the P500 pump with an attachedreservoir. Plenty of coolant and tubing is included, and also happens to beUV reactive Intel P965 Shootout Part 2 – Gigabyte, ABIT and Biostar @ tweaktown.com [Nov-27-06] (0 Comments) The Intel P965 chipset has really impressed us in the fact that it may be classed as the “mainstream chipset” compared to the older and more expensive 975X chipset but its features and performance surpass the enthusiast 975X chipset with DDR2-800 memory support, high FSB overclocking potential and now with Crossfire support, its hard to consider a 975X chipset.We had already planned to do this second part roundup but waiting for all of the motherboards to come into our labs was a bit of a push back affair. After nearly two months of waiting we now have four more boards to put on our chopping blocks – two from Gigabyte, one from ABIT and one from Biostar. nForce 4 SLI Socket 939 @ modders-inc.com [Nov-23-06] (0 Comments) Ultra has packaged up several great features with the Ultra Boxbarebone kit. The MicroFly is by far one of the better SFF cases due to thefact that it provides excellent cooling, offers a removable motherboardtray, and will accept standard size ATX power supplies. It has great looks,is lightweight, and will be easy to carry back and forth to LAN events. Altec Lansing FX5051 5.1 Speaker System @ xyzcomputing.com [Nov-22-06] (0 Comments) A solid audio system can make a tremendous difference- it can turn gaming from just another boring shoot-em-up to a spine-rumbling, surround sound action fest. If you are not a gamer then you might enjoy improved sound quality for your digital music, surround sound movies, or the added bass of a subwoofer. Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2 PC2-5300 @ lanaddict.com [Nov-20-06] (0 Comments) To sum it all up, would I buy this RAM if I had the chance? Definitely. It performs great and it looks nice. I know not all of us notice at how pretty something looks, but in the world of computers now, with clear side cases, LED fans, cold cathodes and the like it, definitely is getting to be the norm to look nice. And this RAM definitely gets point for that as well, with the blue LEDs along the base of the RAM, and the chasing LEDs on the top to show activity. Icemat Siberia In:Ear Contest @ lanaddict.com [Nov-20-06] (0 Comments) We will be giving away two (2) Icemat Siberia In:Ear headsets to two lucky forum members. The rules are absurdly simple: Fatal1ty in rAge - Spending time with the World's Best Gamer @ tweaktown.com [Nov-17-06] (0 Comments) Fatal1ty proves consistently why he is the best, with his undying dedication and commitment to the gaming community in general. I approached John and asked him if he would be interested to play all the worlds leading players in an exclusively hyped event to see where he stands right now - he said, yes he would love to invite them all for a gaming LAN, but not to compete, rather to do a blood drive. Totally caught off guard, I had to ask him to elaborate. He explained that he would invite them to give blood at the LAN to bolster the depleted blood-banks in most countries. This kind of road trip would be an awesome event and anybody interested in helping push something like this, please contact the Fatal1ty website. X-Micro WLAN 11g Combo Finder Adapter @ rbmods.com [Nov-17-06] (0 Comments) Wireless LAN is one of the biggest things these days when it comes to home and office neworks. It saves alot of space and trouble when installing a network wherever it is. The problem is that it's quite expensive but Xmicro has found a smart way to combine a Wifi finder and a USB Wifi card. This is a smart little device that can find wireless networks and also work as a USB wifi card, could it get any better? The big question is though how well does this work, and that's what we are here to find out today. Lenovo 3000 V100 Notebook @ xyzcomputing.com [Nov-13-06] (0 Comments) In this review we will be taking a look at the Lenovo 3000 V100 ultra-portable notebook computer. At first glance people will probably be surprised by just how refined the system appears, but you have to keep in mind that these are the same people that produce the X60s. That said, there is a very clear distinction between the two lines and when you buy a 3000, don't expect a Thinkpad. This is clearly an interesting situation and one worth investigating if you are someone looking for a good deal on a notebook, are interested in the company that makes your Thinkpad, or like to keep an eye on notebook culture. So let's take a closer look at the V100... Ultra X-Finity 500W APFC @ overclockersonline.com [Nov-10-06] (0 Comments) I think we can safely conclude that this is an excellent powersupply. But, performance isn't the only factor that adds up to a powersupply, it is an overall balance as well. Today, there are countless highquality power supplies within the 500W range so why choose the UltraX-Finity 500W APFC power supply? Well the Ultra X-Finity 500W APFC powersupply excels in not only performance, but aesthetics and functionality. Akasa integral P2 LAN 3.5" @ techpowerup.com [Nov-08-06] (0 Comments) The Akasa Integral P2 LAN is just one of many hard drive enclosures from Akasa. It looks quite sleek and solid, holds the hard drive well and comes with everything needed. Setting up the drive may not be as easy as other variants, but the software is bug free and easy to use. You can even use up to eight of these units to build a RAID setup. NZXT Adamas Premium Aluminum Chassis @ thinkcomputers.org [Nov-08-06] (0 Comments) If you have not heard of NZXT they are primarily known for making flashy, exotic looking cases. You have probably seen oneof their cases at a LAN party. Well today we are taking a look at a case that is anything but flashy. The NZXT Adamas case is sleekand very elegant looking. It is part of NZXT's classic line and features an all aluminum frame, screw-less front and side panel's,and 4 120mm fans. The Adamas is our first case from NZXT so let's see how it compares to some of the other cases we have recentlyreviewed. ASUS M2R32-MVP vs ECS KA3 MVP Extreme:CrossFire Xpress 3200 @ hothardware.com [Nov-07-06] (0 Comments) Looking at the two boards for overall value, the first place tostart is price. Using various price search engines, we found the ASUSM2R32-MVP being offered for anywhere from $144 - 159. The ECS KA3 MVPExtreme weighs in a bit lower, ranging from $135 - 145. Taking this intoaccount, unless overclocking is a serious concern, the ECS KA3 MVP Extremehas a lot more to offer at a slightly lower price point. With far morestorage options, plenty of data cabling and expansion components, the ECSKA3 Extreme strikes a solid balance between features, performance and price.Conversely, if overclocking is a major factor, the ASUS M2R32-MVP is a greatfit, but some might feel its overall retail experience is a bit lacklusterfor the price. Three HDMI Graphics Cards Tested on LCD TV @ tweaktown.com [Nov-01-06] (0 Comments) Video technology hasn’t been quite as in parallel, however. True AV hardware has been using high-definition component and HDMI technology for some time, while the best that HTPC’s could manage was S-Video. So the options have been to either get a TV which could take RBG/DVI inputs, or put up with a lower quality video signal. Luckily, graphics card manufacturers have addressed this imbalance, with new units hitting the market which support high-definition HDMI standards. News@Technic3D /1701 A.D. @ technic3d.com [Oct-31-06] (0 Comments) 1701 A.D. from Sunflowers comes into the Editorship from Techn ic3D. Ready for the third Island colonize? See you in the following Re view. [News] Sapphire Radeon X1950XTX 512MB Graphics Card @ virtual-hideout.net [Oct-31-06] (0 Comments) The graphics card in the crosshairs for this review is the SapphireATI Radeon X1950XTX. A bit of a mouthful, but it only gets better with someof the features. Like 512MB of GDDR4, HD AVIVO, Dual DVI ,VIVO, PCI Expressx16 Lane 32bit Bus, ATI CrossFire Ready, and Windows Vista Ready. PowerColor Radeon X1950 Pro 256MB @ bit-tech.net [Oct-31-06] (0 Comments) Generally speaking, there were small gameplay advantagesdelivered byPowerColor’s card as a result of the slightly higher default clockspeeds. We also really like the fact that PowerColor has moved awayfrom the norm and included an Arctic Cooling Accelero X2 as thestandard cooling solution, but one has to wonder whether it’s worth theadditional £20 that the card will cost you over Sapphire’s Radeon X1950Pro. That will come down to whether you are planning to overclock ornot. Icemat Siberia In:Ear Contest @ lanaddict.com [Oct-30-06] (0 Comments) We will be giving away two (2) Icemat Siberia In:Ear headsets to two lucky forum members. The rules are absurdedly simple: Icemat Siberia In:Ear Contest @ lanaddict.com [Oct-30-06] (0 Comments) We will be giving away two (2) Icemat Siberia In:Ear headsets to two lucky forum members. The rules are absurdedly simple: :What planet do they think we're from? @ hexus.net [Oct-30-06] (0 Comments) What happened is that a company that was unable to findgenuine fault, told us that we won't be receiving any more productfor testing unless future reviews can be guaranteed to be morefavourable than the last one. Icemat Siberia Headset @ modsynergy.com [Oct-30-06] (0 Comments) Everyone wants the best their money can get. It's only natural to want the best but almost none of us have an unlimited budget. This especially holds for gamers where our priorities tend to be for higher priced video cards and CPUs. So if I can get a hold of a headset that is the best bang for the buck and leaves money for other gaming gear, then I am going to go that route.Icemat is known for their involvement in LAN parties and is a major producer of high performance mouse pads. Recently, Icemat introduced a couple of new lines of interest, the 'Wear' and 'Audio' lines. Today I will share our long term review of the Icemat Siberia Headset. Is it worth your look or should you avoid it? Find out right now. News@Technic3D / e-bug Wielander C 1615A @ technic3d.com [Oct-24-06] (0 Comments) The new e-bug Wielander C 1615A PC arrived Technic3D. See you in the following Review a fast PC with a small Price Powercolor X1650 Pro @ techpowerup.com [Oct-24-06] (0 Comments) ATI's Radeon X1650 was introduced with the X1950 XTX and the X1300 XT. Just what is this card? As the name suggests, it is a little step up from the X1600 XT. With the same amount of pipelines, and slightly higher clocks, is there anything to look forward to with the X1650 Pro? No doubt, this card at least runs cooler - insured by a smaller manufacturing process. Does it bring balanced performance at a fair price? How does it fair compared to the X1300 XT? Most importantly, is it worth buying? Plantronics Discovery 655 Bluetooth Headset @ bluetomorrow.com [Oct-20-06] (0 Comments) We were excited to receive the Discovery 655, the first of five new headsets Plantronics recently introduced. The Discovery 655 looks pretty in the box and left us drooling when we peered inside. Swiftech H20-220 Apex Ultra Watercooling Kit @ overclockers.com.au [Oct-17-06] (0 Comments) ----Finally, I got to the point where the system was pretty much solid with opaque, light green liquid, which had lots and lots of air bubbles in suspension. This isn't great, but with a properly setup circuit (reservoir being at the top, remember?), all the air will filter to the top of the reservoir and the coolant in the circuit will slowly be purged of bubbles. You might want to tap and rotate the various components while the pump is running, so that bubbles will dislodge and be carried to the reservoir by the coolant.---- Slim Devices Squeezebox Network Music Player @ xyzcomputing.com [Oct-16-06] (0 Comments) This review will be looking at the third revision of the Squeezebox. This device is a prime example of the integration of a useful idea and great design. The Squeezebox is encased in high gloss black plastic and a bit of brushed aluminum and uses a slick VFD as a display. The design is iPod-esque but results in a device which looks cool enough to fit in any where. The small size of the device means it is easy to place; this is aided by the fact that it has built in wireless connectivity. As we saw with the Sonos digital music system, a LAN (or WLAN) is a great way to connect a digital music repository (such as a computer or NAS device) to one's home stereo. The Squeezebox also gives users access to internet radio and subscription services in addition to their own music. LG P1 Express Dual notebook @ aoaforums.com [Oct-10-06] (0 Comments) At first glance this unit appears to be a very good deal at $2499 AUD. Similarly priced HP only features a nVidia GO7400 and a Centrino Duo 1.73 GHz. And identically priced LG comes in with the bigger brother processor, a Centrino Duo 2.0 GHz but only features a GO7300.It is a very lightweight unit, easily able to be carried around in ones briefcase of backpack. I think perhaps the nicest feature, is the inclusion of the numpad, a rare find on laptops with screen sizes of only 15.4=94 (only is used loosely in this case), it is usually reserved for the larger units with 17=94 screens. Sharkoon 1337 Gaming Mat @ techpowerup.com [Oct-03-06] (0 Comments) We take a look at Sharkoon's latest gaming mouse pad, which is only 1.4 mm high and can be rolled up to make transportation to LAN parties easier. The mat has a cloth top and uses foam at the bottom to make sure it's not slipping around on the table. At the end of the day the Sharkoon 1337 gaming mat which costs only $10 does not disappoint. DFI LANPARTY UT CFX3200-DR @ hothardware.com [Oct-03-06] (0 Comments) DFI has earned a reputation over the last couple of years forproducing feature-rich, enthusiast friendly motherboards. DFI's decked outLANPARTY family of motherboards in particular has become known to manyaround the world as a family of products that cater to the unique needs ofthe enthusiast and overclocking communities. Today we present to you DFI'sLANPARTY UT CFX3200-DR. Build around the CrossFire Xpress 3200 chipset andwith a plethora of BIOS options and integrated peripherals, this board has [News] Koolance EHX-1050SK External Water Cooling Kit @ virtual-hideout.net [Oct-02-06] (0 Comments) Before we could revel in the opportunity to review a brand newproduct that extreme users will appreciate, Koolance was in the midst ofreleasing yet another water cooling system, the ERM-3K4U5, which breaks into a whole world of possibilities. Today, we will be installing and gettinga closer look at their infamous 1000kw cooling system mounted externally asthe EHX 1050SK with the very much improved RP-1000SL Reservoir and Pump thathas so many features, it almost belongs some place other than a computer,such as the space shuttle. What You Should Know @ aselabs.com [Sep-30-06] (0 Comments) Let me begin this article by asking a question to you, the reader; if your hard drive died right now, do you have a backup of the data that you need? Alright, let me ask you another question; How much is your data worth? Many readers are scratching their heads right now asking what that last question actually means. I will rephrase the question; how much are you willing to pay to retrieve your lost data? Most people would put the number in the $100 or around there range. Some people will go higher into the thousands, even more for people that have vital business information contained on the drive. I know of someone that paid over $10,000 to get data off of a few hard drives caught in a fire because they did not have a proper backup plan. Now that I have your attention, we can go through the options of each price level. Folding@Home and ATI Bring Supercomputing Power to Medical Research @ pcper.com [Sep-29-06] (0 Comments) The other main announcement today is the availability of the ATI GPUFolding client for distribution this Monday. Utilizing the 48 pixelprocessors in the X1900 and X1950 GPUs, the Stanford team has been able toachieve a 40x increase in folding calculation speeds. Only the X1900 andX1950 cards are supported at this time, though others MIGHT be added later.Multi-GPU support is also planned and should be coming pretty soon. DFI LANParty UT NF590 SLI-M2R/G Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Sep-29-06] (0 Comments) While we did use the DFI LANParty UT NF590 SLI-M2R/G motherboard in our last article discussing the NF5 chipset, some might be asking, why we are doing another review? The answer is simple - we only used the DFI board for its 590SLI chipset. The focus of that article was the chipset and not so much the motherboard itself – this time we’ll be focusing more on the board and its features to work out if it is actually worth buying. Benchmarking The Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Processor @ legitreviews.com [Sep-29-06] (0 Comments) Overall we have been impressed by quad-core and what it will be able to offer enthusiasts down the road. Seeing upcoming DirectX 10 games like Alan Wake and benchmarks along the lines of Ice Storm Fighters push the processing limits of dual-core processors in upcoming months quad-cores will be the choice of enthusiasts and gamers around the world. Kentsfield really has lived up to the hype and has now become the Quadzilla of processors hands down. Sapphire Quietly Launches an AGP Version of X1300XT @ ngohq.com [Sep-27-06] (0 Comments) The AGP market has been heating up a lot recently. Only a few weeks ago we reported that nVidia is planning to introduce an AGP version of 7300GT with DDR2 memory. Now it seems that Sapphire is ready to release a shipment of a RADEON X1300XT AGP card to a few distributors, according to a worldwide distributor. Thermalright Ultra-120 CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Sep-25-06] (0 Comments) Just today Thermalright were friendly enough to send out their newestmodel in coolers, the Ultra-120. The Ultra falls into the same category asthe very popular type of coolers known as towers types. They are both talland fairly heavy and cool better than any previous cooler design of thepast. Today we will see how the Ultra-120 stands up to our reigning champ,pitting it against the Scythe Infinity. A+ Case Twin Engine / XCLIO A380 @ techpowerup.com [Sep-24-06] (0 Comments) If we could describe the XLCIO A380, which is identical to the A+Case Twin Engine, with one word it would be:monstrous. Not because of looks, as it looks incredibly sleek. The case sports two huge 25 cm fans which light up and are a definitely a huge attraction at LAN parties. Big fans don't have to be loud - the included fan controllers allow you to fine tune the fan speed and noise as needed. Even at maximum speed the fan noise of this $110 case is barely audible. Top Five GPS Systems @ dvhardware.net [Sep-20-06] (0 Comments) Garmin StreetPilot? Magellan RoadMate? Pioneer? TomTom? Which GPS best fits my needs? After-Market GPS or Built-in Vehicle GPS? What are the most important features to look for? We answer the questions that comparison shopping engines don't. After reading this short article you'll have the basic information you need to choose the GPS that best fits your needs, life style and budget.. Rivet HARMONY Stereo Headset Lanyard @ atruereview.com [Sep-17-06] (0 Comments) What once was a premium feature found only on flagship phones, moreand more cell phones these days feature media playback capabilities. Couplethis with continually plummeting prices of flash memory cards, using yourcell phone as a legitimate music player is not that bad of an idea. As withany legitimate music player, the stock headphones that come with them areusually pretty bad in terms of audio quality. With media playing cellphones, you would be lucky to have them come with a stereo headset (asoppose to mono), let alone good quality ones. Luckily, just as there arethird party headphones on the market, there are also third party stereoheadsets for cell phones. In this review, I will take a look at the HARMONYStereo Headset Lanyard from Rivet. Will the Rivet HARMONY allow you tofully embrace your media capable cell phone as a music player? Read on andfind out. Internet Multimedia Super-Slim Keyboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Sep-17-06] (0 Comments) Having an extra keyboard is always a good thing to have, especially if you go to a lot of LAN parties. If your keyboardcraps out then you are out of luck if all the stores around are closed. Of course you do not want to lug a full size keyboard aroundjust [News] ThermalTake 745 Bigwater WaterCooling Kit @ virtual-hideout.net [Sep-13-06] (0 Comments) The Thermaltake 745 Bigwater Kit does a surprisingly better job thanone might expect at first glance. It is able to do a very respectable jobagainst the heat despite an average pump and average looking blocks. Amatching Aquarius Series water block for the chipset would round off thiskit's appearance... Koolance PC4-1025BK 1kW Liquid Cooling System @ pcper.com [Sep-11-06] (0 Comments) The Koolance PC4-1025 combines an advanced liquid cooling systemwith an elegant enclosure that is sure to please even the most demandingenthusiast. You will be hard pressed to build a more capable system fromscratch. The PC4-1025 Liquid Cooling System delivers excellent performance,advanced features, and modern styling in a self-contained and easy toinstall system. The finished result looks awesome and presents aprofessional appearance! Altec Lansing M602 Mobile Audio System For iPod @ thinkcomputers.org [Sep-11-06] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing has been around since 1928 and they are an industry leader in the design, manufacture, marketing and supportfor most audio systems. They are also a household name for most consumer audio like PC Speakers and headphones. You may rememberthat in the middle of the summer we reviewed the Altec Lansing inMotion iM500, which was a mobile speaker solution designed for theiPod Nano. Today we will be taking a look at the Altec Lansing M602 Mobile Audio System for the Apple iPod. [News] Motherboard Tray Mod @ virtual-hideout.net [Sep-06-06] (0 Comments) This task isn't for everyone out there, but the folks who review CPUcoolers or even swap out CPU coolers regularly will love this little mod. Iwould also recommend this mod to users who are building a new system andplan on upgrading the CPU cooler in the future. HEXUS.eXclusive::Corsair Dominator TWIN2X2048-8888C4DF memory @ hexus.net [Sep-05-06] (0 Comments) Recently a plane flew over HEXUS.towers, dropping a packagefor us. We were being dominated, or were we the ones that would bedoing the Dominating? Join us as we give Corsair's fastest evermemory modules a workout, analysing performance, overclocking and ofcourse, the new cooling solution. [News] Razer Barracuda HP1 Gaming Headphones @ virtual-hideout.net [Sep-05-06] (0 Comments) I think I'll take my experience and call it good. Great sound isalways a treat. For Lan party's, the volume control module rocks, and true 6channel sound is always better than stereo. I wouldn't be me if I didn'talso mention the ability to turn off the bright blue lighting whenever Ichoose, without affecting the operation of the speakers. Antec's Minuet 300 mini ATX case takes aim in the Living Room @ ocmodshop.com [Sep-01-06] (0 Comments) Whether it be for home theater, LAN parties, or simple space economics, Pittco 5 Lan Party @ thinkgaming.org [Aug-30-06] (0 Comments) The last time we were at a Pittco event was their Akasa Integral LAN Disk Enclosure @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Aug-30-06] (0 Comments) With the Akasa Integral LAN using NDAS and supporting both FAT32 and NTFS all Altec Lansing iM9 Portable Audio System @ xyzcomputing.com [Aug-29-06] (0 Comments) There are already a lot of very good iPod speakers on the market but more keep coming every month. With so many iPod owners out there, a lot of people are interested in accessorizing their MP3 player. Speakers are a popular choice because they allow the iPod to be used without headphones, as you would at home or at a party. The speakers we are looking at this time are the Altec Lansing iM9. This is high-end set of portable speakers which is designed to compete with products like the iM7 and Logitech's mm50. It features a portable design and a rugged build which is meant to handle all the rigors of mobile use. If nothing else, this is one of the cooler looking set of iPod speakers on the market, so it's worth a look. Kingston HyperX DDR2 800 SLI-Ready 2GB Kit @ xyzcomputing.com [Aug-24-06] (0 Comments) If you are in the process of building or planning to build an AM2 Altec Lansing iM500 Portable Audio System @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-22-06] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing has been around since 1928 and they are an industry leader in the design, manufacture, marketing and supportfor most audio systems. They are also a household name for most consumer audio like PC Speakers and headphones. Today we will betaking a look at the Altec Lansing inMotion iM500 Mobile Audio System for the Apple iPod Nano. [News] Silverstone FP34 3.5" Card Reader @ virtual-hideout.net [Aug-22-06] (0 Comments) The FP34 crams a lot of essential connections into a small area, andincorporates the card reader in with these connections. The aluminumconstruction is solid and lightweight, so that won't be an issue for the LANparty traveler. BULLET WITCH for Xbox 360 @ ocmodshop.com [Aug-21-06] (0 Comments) Developed by Japan-based Cavia, Bullet Witch is set on a bleak planetearth in the year 2013 with human kind on the brink of extinction andhideous demons creating a tidal wave of destruction and havoc. Globalsat GV-201 All-in-One Vehicle Navigation System @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-18-06] (0 Comments) With so many GPS solutions out there which one is right for you? Well it all depends on what you need and how much you wantto spend. There are many GPS choices some of the big names are Magellan, Garmin, and TomTom. While these are the big names Globalsathas an All-in-One solution the GV-201 that is a navigation system, MP3 player, movie player, and a photo viewer. From looking atprices of other systems out there Globalsat is able to pack all this stuff in there a keep it far less expensive than itscompetitors. Acer CU-6530 6.3MP Digital Camera @ ukgamer.com [Aug-15-06] (0 Comments) Take a company with absolutely zero pedigree in film cameras or accessories, watch them create a midrange product that's certain to go toe-to-toe with photographic giants like Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Olympus and the like yet still hold its own and then listen to them claim to have kept the price keen without cutting any corners and let's be honest, it all sounds about as likely as me landing a date with Claudia Schiffer...again. Asus Crosshair nForce 590 SLI AM2 Motherboard @ pcper.com [Aug-15-06] (0 Comments) Based on some new technology from the company, the Crosshairmotherboard offers up a lot of options and little features that really helpthe board stand out. The on-board power, reset and CMOS clearing buttonsare really nice and add to the appeal of the board to tweakers andoverclockers. The LED lights around the expansion components might seemgimmicky at first, but could be useful for frequent LAN gamers and thosethat are often inside their cases moving things around or just doing generaltweaking. News@Technic3D / PowerColor und Technic3D GC 2006 Event @ technic3d.com [Aug-10-06] (0 Comments) Just a few days ahead, from 24/08/2006 to 27/08/2006, this yea rs Games Convention in Leipzig, Europe's best-known computer gaming exhibition, will open its gates to attract people from all over the wo rld with the latest in games and gaming gear. PowerColor and Technic3D .com have therefore established a partnership to create a raffle. Tha nks to some sponsors, we were able to obtain some nice prizes, includi ng an X1800XT graphics card, 15 Games from Frogster Interactive, and m iscellaneous products from Arctic Cooling. Good luck and have fun!PowerColor, manufacturer of graphics cards, will have showgirls walkin g around at this years Games Convention. Technic3D.com's reader shou ld be watching out for the lovely girls, because we want to publish al l of the taken photos on our website and our editorial department will be choosing the best photos. The winning photographer will then be ob taining one of our prizes. Belkin TuneStage for iPod nano Cancelled and Replaced @ bluetomorrow.com [Aug-08-06] (0 Comments) If you have been eagerly awaiting the Belkin TuneStagefor iPod nano, then we have some unfortunate news. According toBelkin the device has been cancelled, but there are plans foranother device to replace it. Belkin will introduce the BelkinTuneStage II that will work with both the nano and iPod Video.The TuneStage II is expected to be released in September. Flexiglow Mouse Pad Funkifies Your Desktop @ ocmodshop.com [Aug-08-06] (0 Comments) Are you using a boring old cloth & rubber mouse pad? How about a lame, limp nanometer-thick piece of blandness? Well you need to get some style, man! You need glowing, alternating, mesmerizing LEDs imbedded into a super slick, acrylic, USB-powered Flexiglow mouse pad! Altec Lansing AHP612 Headphones @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Aug-02-06] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing, a name well known in the world of PC audio, has been hard at work since 1941 producing what they feel is high-end audio equipment. One of their latest releases is the AHP612 wireless stereo headphones that make use of omni-directional 900 MHz wireless technology to deliver what Altec Lansing calls =93clear, accurate=94 sound through walls and floors up to 150 feet away. Many wireless headphones which make this claim have problems delivering on their promise =96 do the AHP612 headphones pass the muster, or is Altec Lansing hurting their image of quality products by failing to deliver? Read on to find out. Thermaltake Muse LAN disk (NAS) enclosure @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Aug-01-06] (0 Comments) Thermaltake have made a solid contender for the Network AttachedStorage (NAS for short) market, that not only performs, it is also very veryeasy to setup. I did not realize having a NAS drive would be so useful butafter using one for a few weeks to me it has become an essential. Nokia's Plan to Self Destruct Cell Phones @ cooltechzone.com [Jul-31-06] (0 Comments) In a recently published news report, Nokia reveals it’s working on anew mechanism to automatically dismember cell phone components to makerecycling easier and cost effective by reducing dismemberment time. Thisresearch is being conducted by the Nokia Research Center and threeuniversities in Finland. Microsoft Zune, AMD Buys ATI, and Other Fun News @ podcasts.digitaltrends.com [Jul-28-06] (0 Comments) Microsoft has confirmed the the Zune line of music devices is, in fact, real. They will run on unicorn horns and goblin ears, and hold 40 Terabytes of direct neuronally implanted audio data. Okay, we got no specs, but there is some info here, and an FCC filing here. AMD has bought out ATI. Maybe Intel yanked ATI's chipset license, maybe not. Who knows? Expect rumors and positive business spin to prevail until cold harsh reality blankets the land in its soul-crushing blandness. Albatron 7300GT PCI Express Video Card @ lanaddict.com [Jul-26-06] (0 Comments) Pleased with the card? Yes, and highly. When you factor in the cost and the performance boost this card delivers, it makes it a great product. Not to mention it’s a seven series part, which just adds to the deal. I’d recommend this card to a person who is looking for a great performing, but cheap, card. Especially someone who wants to go SLI on the cheap. Altec Lansing VS2321 Powered Audio System @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-24-06] (0 Comments) When it comes to buying audio equipment for your PC there are only a few names to choose from. One of the most well knownbrands is Altec Lansing. They make all different types of audio products for your PC and other devices. Today we will be looking attheir VS2321 powered audio system that is small enough to fit on your desk, but provides great vibrant sound quality. So let's takea look. The Age of the Web Hermit @ bit-tech.net [Jul-17-06] (0 Comments) Time will tell how strong the electronic ties that hold together internet societies will be. Civil society in the physical world could arguably be on the wane but on the internet, at least in these early years, we are seeing the reverse. Communities are becoming more stable and businesses to cater to them have been established. We are still in the relatively early days of the era of the Web Hermit and who is to say what will become of them? In years to come will we see grey haired old warhorses meeting up in their faded clan t-shirts sharing stories down the Dog And Duck of taking down the Molten Core fifty years ago? Will parents tell their children the enchanting tale of how they exchanged smiley faces in the Singles (19-29) room on Yahoo and knew that they were meant to be? Corrected picture links for the Princeton VL1917 19" LCD monitor @ extensivemods.com [Jul-14-06] (0 Comments) Shut it down, tear it down, pack it up, load it up and add a fewgrunts and groans in here and there and what do you have? What? You don'tknow what you have, well then let me help you out:you have your everydaygamer packing up and heading out to the local LAN party or perhaps toQuakecon. The majority of the grunts and groans come from handling that bigole CRT monitor. Well let me try to lighten your load just an ounce or twowith these 3 little letters, LCD. CoolerMaster Mystique Case @ xyzcomputing.com [Jul-12-06] (0 Comments) At first glance we can see that this case looks very cool and has a curved bezel which CoolerMaster says is able to optimize air flow, but I think i t just looks interesting. Like the rest of the Mystique, the front end i s all aluminum, though the bezel's construction is thicker than that of th e other parts. With all the bland aluminum cases on the market, it is ni ce to see one which is able to look interesting without resorting to featu res like excessive lighting or graphics. The classy look will strike man y users as a cross between the aluminum cases from Thermaltake and Lian Li . The Elder Scrolls IV:Oblivion @ lanaddict.com [Jul-11-06] (0 Comments) After spending 80 hours playing through the entire main quest of Oblivion, I have to say that I am very pleased. Not only with the game itself, which I found to be an incredible experience very much on par with Morrowind and its expansions, but also with the Xbox 360 as a gaming platform. I found the control scheme very user friendly and the controller itself quite easy to get used to handling. I did experience a few heat-related freezes after playing for six or eight hours, but nothing that a little break didn\'t solve. Who owns your virtual life? @ bit-tech.net [Jul-11-06] (0 Comments) MMO players play a significant role in creating the game, to the point that the creation of the game could be considered a partnership. Blizzard might provide the polygons and the servers, and script a few missions, but the intrigue, the stories, the emotional involvement, are all made by the players. What contributes more to the game's sense of fun =96 the polygons, interface and horde of AI bad guys you fight, or the fact that using VoIP, you and people from all over the planet can execute a flawless ambush, then have a good chuckle about with your comrades it on the forum? Cobra PR 245-2 VP Walkie-Talkies @ monster-hardware.com [Jul-10-06] (0 Comments) With a little effort I could make a case that the Cobra GMRS/FRS PR 245-2 VP two-way radios that we will be looking at today are an indispensable LAN accessory, much like a six-pack of diet Mountain Dew and use that as my hook as to why all you readers and owners of hardware tech sites should read or post my review, even though not directly computer- related. I could but I won't, because it isn't why I asked Geeks for a set for review. Instead, I was interested in getting a set of these two-way radios because walkie talkies are just plain fun. Not only that, but they are cheap fun that most everyone reading this can afford. Oblivion on the Xbox 360 @ lanaddict.com [Jul-10-06] (0 Comments) After spending 80 hours playing through the entire main quest of Oblivion, I have to say that I am very pleased. Not only with the game itself, which I found to be an incredible experience very much on par with Morrowind and its expansions, but also with the Xbox 360 as a gaming platform. I found the control scheme very user friendly and the controller itself quite easy to get used to handling. I did experience a few heat-related freezes after playing for six or eight hours, but nothing that a little break didn\'t solve. AlphaCool Slot-In Alu-UV Reservoir @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Jul-08-06] (0 Comments) I will say that the alpha cool is one of the best that I have usedand I say this because if the allan key construction, what I mean by this isthat the hole unit can be taken apart with one allan key this makes toppingup or just changing the water in the system a complete piece of cake and letme tell you it is not a fun job after you have been doing it for the pastyear. Speed-Link Medusa 5.1 Pro Gamer Edition @ techpowerup.com [Jun-30-06] (0 Comments) Today we look at the Speed-Link Medusa 5.1 Pro Gamer Edition headset. Not only does it come with all the cables and a tiny but effective power supply. It also sports a perfect bag which makes the journey to the next LAN party a breeze. The suede feel of the headset makes it incredibly comfortable and it definitely has the sound to make your scariest games even scarier and give you the 5.1 surround sound you need to excel at your next LAN Party. :ATI Radeon X1600 round-up @ hexus.net [Jun-29-06] (0 Comments) Today we're venturing into the world of the level-headed; thesensible enthusiast. Or, perhaps, the realist. It's a land wheresomething around £100 will get you a new graphics card. Thermaltake Muse LanDisk external hard drive enclosure @ a1-electronics.net [Jun-27-06] (0 Comments) Today we are reviewing the latest Muse LanDisk external 3.5 LocoRoco PSP @ bit-tech.net [Jun-22-06] (0 Comments) LocoRoco is unusual, even retro, full of simple ideas and smiling creatures. There's nothing complex about it in any sense. Visually, for example, it's bright, cheery and uncomplicated; your dark, frowning adversaries and obstacles are self-evident.All you have to do is wobble a little blob from one end of the level to the other, picking up red plants as you go and avoiding spikes and nasties. Each plant adds another blob to the gelatinous collective, and when you're faced with a narrow corridor or an obstacle better navigated in smaller form, you can split yourself up into a collection of blobs. You can even pool them into groups somewhere in between. LanWar 2006's 8 Best Case Mods @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-21-06] (0 Comments) There are always a few major events every year that become the modders deadlines where they slave away for hours with aDremel in hand attempting to finish up their case by the upcoming LAN. On the east coast that LAN is LanWar (aka MillionManLAN) andthis year there were no doubt a handful of great mods to be seen. ThinkComputers.org sought out the best 8 mods found in the BYOC. Music Gremlin MP3 Player and Service @ reviews.digitaltrends.com [Jun-21-06] (0 Comments) One of the more innovative ideas comes from MusicGremlin, a New York-based company whose Web-based download service uses Wi-Fi as the download channel rather than a PC. MusicGremlin players pack 802.11b Wi-Fi chips that tap into home networks, public hotspots and the T-Mobile service (the latter for a fee). Each Gremlin player comes with the listings for around 2 million tracks, which are always available to users who opt for the $14.99/month subscription plan. You can also purchase tracks on an a la carte plan for 99 cents, competitive with other download services. The songs are encoded in WMA at 128kbps and protected by digital rights management. The player, which also plays MP3s, retails for $299. Philips S900 Touchscreen LCD Cell Phone @ dailyce.com [Jun-20-06] (0 Comments) Philips has released a Korean version of the S900 cell phonewith touchscreen capability to make it easier for users to entercharacters in languages other than English (Korean to name one). Theexterior of the unit is very sleek and stylish and comes bundled withlatest technologies and features, such as integrated MP3 player, storagecard support, a 2-megapixel camera, an infrared port and Bluetoothwireless technology. Thermaltake Muse LanDisk @ techpowerup.com [Jun-17-06] (0 Comments) The Thermaltake MUSE LanDisk is an external enclosure for one 3.5 Titan NK32TZ AMD Athlon & Intel Pentium heatsink . @ a1-electronics.net [Jun-15-06] (0 Comments) Very well done Titan with this NK32TZ universal AMD Athlon & Intel Pentium heatsink. The balance between weight and cooling performance is ideal and the fan was not that noisy either in our tests. More than acceptable. Icemat Siberia Headset @ gruntville.com [Jun-14-06] (0 Comments) During game play, sound reproduction was consistently excellent with littl e or no distortion even at the highest settings. Surprisingly, the microp hone turned out to be better than I had imagined. As I am normally used t o a boom mic attached to a headset, I have found that the detached micropho ne performs as well if not better than my Altec Lansing's. The headphones themselves are very comfortable even during long gaming sessions. The on ly drawback to this headset is the lack of active noise cancellation. Plantronics Voyager 510 Bluetooth Headset @ bluetomorrow.com [Jun-14-06] (0 Comments) With its Voyager 510, Plantronics introduces a product that at leastmeets, if not exceeds, BlueTomorrow.com's expectations for a mobile headsetfrom the company. By itself the headset can be paired with virtually any mobilephone. With a special Bluetooth Desktop Adapter known as the Voyager 500, theheadset can also be used interchangeably with an office telephone. Sytrin KuFormula VF1 Plus GFX cooler @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Jun-13-06] (0 Comments) One of the biggest things that impressed me is the stability of thetemperatures it is similar to water-cooling in a sense as that too keepstemperatures very stable and rarely will the Celsius jump dramaticallybetween idle and load temperatures. Another big selling point is theuniversal brackets allowing you to use any GFX card on the planet withouthaving to change coolers. Globalsat Bt 328 Bluetooth GPS receiver @ rbmods.com [Jun-13-06] (0 Comments) The GPS has for a long time been a gadget that you use when you are planning on traveling a long way and only a few people have been able to afford it. The prices have gone down and now you start finding it in every car and home. The GPS has become a valuable tool for people and maps are getting ancient. Globalsat has specialized in GPS products and today we have their latest BT328 Bluetooth GPS. You can connect this little device to your handheld computer or a laptop and that way be able to get a fully fcuntioning GPS system. We will explain the basics and see how well this product actually works compared to an older GPS system so stay tuned. Sharkoon SilentEagle 120mm Fan @ lanaddict.com [Jun-12-06] (0 Comments) I do have to bring my hands together, and say a huge congratulations to Sharkoon! They have gone miles above and beyond to make a great product for all case modders! The fan not only looks incredible, but is also very functional, and exceptionally quiet. It may not have any LEDs on it, but those can be added through means of thumb screws, etc. DFI @ techPowerUp! @ techpowerup.com [Jun-09-06] (0 Comments) At DFI the highlight was of course the new NVIDIA nForce590 based motherboard for AM2. The LanParty UT NF590 SLI-M2R/G is the first enthusiast motherboard to support Digital PWM using a special circuitry that enhances the power supplied to the CPU. Also new is an ATI RD580 Crossfire motherboard using the new SB600, a new copper cooler for the chipset and an additional SATA-II controller by Promise. 2006 Home Entertainment Show Wrap-up @ news.digitaltrends.com [Jun-09-06] (0 Comments) What once was known as the Stereophile Show for audiophiles has morphed into the Home Entertainment Show (HES) for techies featuring products, seminars and exhibits related to Stereophile's sister publications and their industries:home theater, custom electronics, multimedia and this year, even digital photography. This year's four-day event returned to Los Angeles for the first time in 8 years, taking over a gaggle of floors in the Sheraton Gateway after stints in New York and San Francisco in recent years. Rumors that next year's show will land in Chicago, the home of the former Summer Consumer Electronics Show, could not be substantiated at press time. [News] Sapphire "Ultimate" x1600 PRO 256MB Graphics Card @ Diceman@VH [Jun-08-06] (0 Comments) So if you are in the market for a good graphics card and don't wantto break the bank, give the Sapphire Ultimate X1600 PRO a try. It's a goodquality card that will play just about any of the games currently out today.For the traveling LAN goers, I would suggest removing the card before youtravel since this thing weighs A LOT Thermaltake @ techpowerup.com [Jun-08-06] (0 Comments) Thermaltake has released more products than any other manufacturer at Computex. Among the highlights are a huge home theater case which looks like a big audio rack and has space for two systems. For visitors of lan parties a Shuttle-like case is offered which takes all standard size components and supports SLI. Several new watercooling products have been announced, including a watercooled passive PSU. A whole load of air and watercooled GPU coolers are new too. SoundGraph iMON 2.4G LT & DT @ techpowerup.com [Jun-05-06] (0 Comments) Soundgraph was established in 2000 as a spinoff from Samsung. Their latest product is the SoundGraph iMON 2.4G series of remote controls. Unlike traditional infrared remotes they use 2.4 GHz wireless. The advantage of this is that it will work through walls and you don't have to point the remote at the receiver. Even though the 2.4 GHz band is used there were no problems running with an active wireless LAN nearby. OCZ DDR2 PC2-8000 Platinum Enhanced Latency XTC @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-03-06] (0 Comments) Ok, I am going to read you future, it begins like this. You areplanning to upgrade. Correct? Chances are you will be upgrading to a sweetnice Intel Conroe or an AMD AM2. Correct? Alone with that new processor,there will be a new motherboard to go alone with that, correct? Ok, I am twofor two. Last prediction, you will need some new memory, right? The ram thatyou will be buying will be the new OCZ DDR2 PC2-8000 Platinum EnhancedLatency XTC. OK, enough of the John Edward want-to-be intro. OCZ was coolenough to send over a set of their newest DDR2 ram. Let's check it out. Vaja leather cases @ bit-tech.net [May-30-06] (0 Comments) The Vaja cases we're looking at today fall into the latter category. Made of expensive, high quality leather, Vaja accessories are designed for the more discerning traveller - those who have an aversion to turning right on aeroplanes, for example. We previously went mental for Vaja kit when we first saw it, and now we've had the opportunity to get our hands on it. I ordered a matching set of travel cases for my PSP, iPod and mobile to see if it would at least get me an upgrade on my next long-haul flight. Altec Lansing AHS615 Gaming Headset @ thinkcomputers.org [May-29-06] (0 Comments) When gaming everything is important, your mouse, keyboard, and even your headset. Almost every company that makes audioheadsets has a gaming line. Altec Lansing is no different they have quite a few gaming headsets. Today we will be taking a look atthe AHS615 gaming headset that features SRS 3-D audio, an award winning technology that creates a spatial experience that envelopesthe listener. This headset also features a different ear cup design that I have never seen in any other headset, so let's take alook... ATI Catalyst 6.5 Performance and new Mushkin PSU @ tweaktown.com [May-26-06] (0 Comments) The unit itself is a good looking little devil in its own right. The finish is a very bright and highly polished metal with a resemblance to chrome. This will work very well for those who have a large side window where the power supply is seen from the outside. A closer look toward the lower edge of the photo above shows the clear reflection of carpet fibers in the metal finish. Altec Lansing inMotion 9 (IM9) Portable Audio System for iPod @ bonafidereviews.com [May-25-06] (0 Comments) Several years ago Altec Lansing introduced the first portable audio system designed specifically as a companion to the iPod, the trendsetting inMotion. Since that time they have expanded their range of offerings to ten, which must be a record of sorts. One of the newest is the inMotion IM9, the subject of this review. Thermaltake Armor Junior Mid-Tower ATX Case @ bigbruin.com [May-24-06] (0 Comments) The Armor Junior is yet another great case from Thermaltake, and Armor Senior should be proud of his little fella. While the overall styling is taken straight from the original, full size Armor case, there are many special touches and improvements that make the Junior appealing. While the full size Armor case is great for a stationary system, the compact design of the Armor Junior is ideal for use with a system that travels to LAN parties (or anywhere else for that matter). Altec Lansing MX5021 2.1 Speaker System @ bonafidereviews.com [May-22-06] (0 Comments) With a heritage stretching back to the Post-War era, Altec Lansing has always been first and foremost a speaker company. Though their focus has turned to PC speakers and personal audio, Altec has never forgotten its big system hi-fi days. The THX certified MX 5021 successfully brings this legacy to your bookshelf or desktop. Creative X-Fi Scandal - Round 2 @ ngohq.com [May-17-06] (0 Comments) Two weeks ago we published an article about Creative X-Fi issues. Here is what's going on:We have received a lot of positive comments about that article. Recently, we have noticed that this article encouraged Creative's customers to speak up and complain about the treatment they are receiving. Some people think that we have been unfair with Creative Labs, so about a week ago, we sent emails to Creative Labs's PR in all regions (Asia, Europe and America) and asked for an explanation regarding all these issues. the E3 p @ bit-tech.net [May-16-06] (0 Comments) We can pull away from our home planet and home star, and now we're actually into interstellar space, and there are several thousand planets and stars here. Each of these stars has planetary nebula, etc. A lot of the worlds here are procedurally generated by the computer, but a lot of them are actually generated by other players, and the system goes and grabs them from the central server. The computer basically looks at how the player has played the game, how he has used this planet and does the same thing. They might be peaceful or warlike. Basically, profiling their personality. Additional members of the GeForce 7 family? @ ngohq.com [May-15-06] (0 Comments) Today we had the chance to speak with a very reliable, unofficial source who is very familiar with some of Nvidia's plans. The same source gave us some news regarding additional members of the GeForce 7 family. Since this source is unofficial, consider the following information as a rumor:7900GS, 7600GTX, 7600LE and 7300GT. Sony Alpha DSLR Camera @ dailyce.com [May-15-06] (0 Comments) Sony is working on releasing a DSLR camera of its own, accordingto reports online. Unfortunately, specifications and features haven’tbeen revealed in detail to date, but Sony’s plans are clear – take awaymarket share from the more established names in the industry, such asCanon and its Rebel series, a renowned class of digital SLR cameras foramateur and professional photographers alike. UberSoldier PC Game @ thinkcomputers.org [May-14-06] (0 Comments) Games, I love getting them for review, especially first person shooters. I like all sorts of games but FPS games are myfavorite next to strategy games like Act of War etc. It is also nice to get good games for review, and UberSoldier falls into thatcategory, I might actually call it a great game. Before I received this for review I read a couple other reviews and one wasparticularly bad, and I was sort of unhappy about it as I was planning on buying the game. After installing and playing I can'tfigure out what they were talking about and how they gave it such a bad review... Spire VertiCool II and DiamondCool II @ overclockersonline.com [May-12-06] (0 Comments) So how do we classify these new coolers from Spire? Considering thatthe cost for either HSF is ~$32 according to PriceWatch, I think that oneword sums it up:balance. Both units run cooler than the stock equipmentwhile producing less noise, which is something that we can all respect. Butin the end, the VertiCool II is the better performer, and thus, the bettercooler. Additional members of the GeForce 7 family? @ ngohq.com [May-11-06] (0 Comments) Today we had the chance to speak with a very reliable, unofficial source who is very familiar with some of Nvidia's plans. The same source gave us some news regarding additional members of the GeForce 7 family. Since this source is unofficial, consider the following information as a rumor:7900GS, 7600GTX, 7600LE and 7300GT. Additional members of the GeForce 7 family? @ ngohq.com [May-11-06] (0 Comments) Today we had the chance to speak with a very reliable, unofficial source who is very familiar with some of Nvidia's plans. The same source gave us some news regarding additional members of the GeForce 7 family. Since this source is unofficial, consider the following information as a rumor:7900GS, 7600GTX, 7600LE and 7300GT. X1900 GT face-off @ bit-tech.net [May-10-06] (0 Comments) The GeForce 7900 GT is a very good overclocker, while the Radeon X1900GT looks to be a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. If you're looking to overclock, we feel that the GeForce 7900 GT is the better deal if you find one at a good price. However, if you're planning to run your video card at stock speeds the final decision will depend on the games you're looking to play. Altec Lansing AHP612 Wireless Headphones @ thinkcomputers.org [May-10-06] (0 Comments) Another wireless product up on the test block, this time it's the Altec Lansing's AHP612 Wireless Headphones. Theseheadphones do not use the ever popular Bluetooth wireless technology. Instead they use omni-directional 900 MHz technology thatdelivers clear, accurate sound through walls, floors and ceilings. Bluetooth is limited by its short distance range so let's see howthese headphones compare to the previous ones we looked at. Asustek PW201 LCD Panel with Webcam @ dailyce.com [May-10-06] (0 Comments) The PW201 supports 1680x1050 resolution, 800:1 contrast ratio,300nits brightness, composite, S-Video, and component support, DVI-D andD-SUB inputs, built-in 3W stereo speakers, a headphones jack, flexibletilting angle and height adjustment, portrait and landscape viewingoptions, and a security lock. Bluetooth Headset Roundup - @ xyzcomputing.com [May-09-06] (0 Comments) With so many Bluetooth headsets on the market it had been a real challenge to pick only 3 or 4, each had to be worth spending a week with to evaluat e. I've owned some Motorola headsets in the past, such as the H700 and HS850, and was mildly impressed at most and stopped using them after abou t 2 weeks. So I decided it was time to leave the mobile phone manufactur er's headsets and place a call in to Jabra and Plantronics. XYZ Comput ing's Joe Selim takes a look at the BT800 and JX10 from Jabra and the Voya ger 510s and Discovery 640 from Plantronics. Vizo USB 2.0 Lan Dock @ thinkcomputers.org [May-07-06] (0 Comments) If you have a laptop and take it from home to the office then you know about port replicators. What a port replicator is, isa dock that you plug all your connections into (LAN, USB, Printer, etc.). Then you sit your laptop right on top of it with theprovided connection (think iPod connector). This is great if your laptop has a port replicator port on the bottom, but what if itdoesn't? Well today we are looking at a product from VIZO that does everything a port replicator does but uses a USB 2.0 connectionand is half the size! This saves you the setup time of connecting everything. All you have to do is plug in 1 cable and you're readyto work! GeCube Radeon X1900XTX Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [May-06-06] (0 Comments) This brings us to the topic of today’s article, the GeCube X1900XTX. As of this writing, this is the big boy on the block and we plan on putting it through its paces and then overclocking it to see how much extra power we can eke from this behemoth! Thermaltake Maxtrix VX Case @ xyzcomputing.com [May-05-06] (0 Comments) In the Matrix VX Thermaltake combines two segments which have been very i mportant to their success over the past few years- aluminum cases and LAN party cases. These two go together quite well- the light weight of alumi num makes it the ideal material for a case which is going to be brought to a LAN party and the small size means aluminum's comparative strength disa dvantage to steel is not a factor. At 3.8kg the Matrix VX is Thermalta ke's flyweight ATX enclosure. It is slick looking, equipped with the bas ics, and ready for some testing. :ATI and Nokia sign major Multimedia contract @ hexus.net [May-04-06] (0 Comments) Arguably this story starts with two sweet youngFinnish lads in a school playground in Finland, and perhaps we'llreturn to the detail of that sometime in the in the future...... Plantronics Pulsar 590A Bluetooth Headset @ legitreviews.com [May-03-06] (0 Comments) Using the Plantronics Pulsar 590A to listen to music in the office, computer lab, or while traveling is sweet since Plantronics has given the user everything they need to connect and communicate with any device out there. The Universal Adapter is worth its weight in gold. Being small and rechargeable the Adapter goes wherever you need it to go to interface with whatever device you need... MSI K8N Diamond Plus Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [May-02-06] (0 Comments) The K8N Diamond Plus motherboard uses the nForce 4 SLI x16 chipset, the newest beast from nVidia. This chipset gives you a total of 32 PCI Express lanes for graphics cards alone; this means you get full speed PCI Express x16 slots. MSI uses a small interconnected heatpipe and fan design to keep the two chipsets as cool as possible - and this is especially great news for end-users who like to build quiet computers. That’s right - nForce 4 SLI x16 is a two chip solutions. nVidia worked this by placing the extra 16 lanes on the Southbridge chipset and uses a 1600Mhz Hyper Transport link to connect the Northbridge to the Southbridge. DFI LANParty UT CFX3200-DR – Another Xpress 3200 Tested @ tweaktown.com [May-02-06] (0 Comments) While there isn’t much variation in scores at the benchmark level, we would recommend DFI and the LANParty UT CFX3200-DR to users who want to mod their case and show off a very flashy board, especially under U.V lights. This motherboard not only performs well and contains plenty of onboard features to keep you happy; it also looks good at the same time. Plantronics Pulsar 590A Bluetooth Headset @ thinkce.net [Apr-28-06] (0 Comments) When I first saw these headphones at CES, I could tell there was something extraordinary about them. Their sleek designimmediately caught my attention, and after discovering they were Bluetooth wireless, I knew they would be keepers. I recently cameacross the industrial design studio's website, One & Co, for these headphones and it's obvious that a considerable amount ofmeticulous study went into creating these masterpieces. However, design isn't all of what makes a product great, and I had to get myhands on a pair and actually see whether these performed just as good as they looked. Corsair Nautilus500 External Cooling Kit @ viperlair.com [Apr-28-06] (0 Comments) As you can see above, the Nautilus500 was significantly quicker to install than the other two kits. The reason for this is that the motherboard needs to be removed before installation for both the EXOS and Aquagate, but not for the Nautilus500. Keep in mind that we're very familiar with the Aquagate Mini and Koolance EXOS, so those times are about as low as they get (for us anyway). We think we can maybe shave another minute for the Nautilus, but either way, a liquid system installed under 10 minutes is pretty impressive. GeForce 7950 (Quad SLI) to support SLI Anti-Aliasing x32 @ ngohq.com [Apr-27-06] (0 Comments) We have learned that the Nvidia Corporation is planning to introduce a new Anti-Aliasing mode in the near future. The upcoming GeForce 7950 Quad SLI gaming monster is on the horizon. If you thought that Anti-Aliasing x8 or x16 is enough then we have a surprise for you. Altec Lansing AHP 612 Wireless Headphones @ bonafidereviews.com [Apr-26-06] (0 Comments) It seems everything is going wireless these days…so why not your headphones? Granted, wireless headphones have been around for quite some time, but range and sound quality have always been something to desire. Can Altec Lansing’s AHP612 successfully overstep these shortcomings and marry quality sound production with wireless portability? BlueTake iPhono Plus Bluetooth Stereo Headset @ lanaddict.com [Apr-24-06] (0 Comments) BlueTake\'s iPhono Plus is a pretty decent headset, especially for a wireless device. The sound that you get is much better than I thought possible from such small speakers. One thing that will factor into your enjoyment of the iPhono Plus will be your PC\'s ability to multitask. I found that the PC I use at work is not very good at streaming audio while I was trying to do anything else. If I just play music or work, everything was fine. Jing Ting Force Chipset Cooler @ gideontech.com [Apr-22-06] (0 Comments) Having the DFI Lanparty UT nForce4 Ultra-D motherboard is a great thing. Not only are you presented with a rock solid motherboard, but it's built for the tweaker in all of us. From the ability to hack the board to allow SLI to the slew of overclocking settings in the BIOS, the Ultra-D has it all. DFI's RD580 board ed @ bit-tech.net [Apr-21-06] (0 Comments) The board is solid, well built, reasonably stable and is pretty overclockable too. The BIOS is great and is a tweaker's heaven. We feel that it needs to mature a little to allow for more overclocking headroom. You should start to see more of this board's potential ooze out in the bucket load as more BIOS revisions come out. How Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) Works @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-20-06] (0 Comments) An in-depth explanation about analog-to-digital conversion in a very easy to follow language. The Silverstone Temjin 5 @ News-Modders-Inc [Apr-18-06] (0 Comments) The Silverstone Temjin 5 is a hybrid combination of form andfunction. Taking a mini-server style steel chassis with aluminum wave stylefaceplate and combining it with a glossy enthusiast finish, Silverstoneoffers up the best of both worlds. Featuring lots of room for expansion, anacrylic side Window, Back lit blue front LCD with fan control, and a toolessdesign. This extended ATX case could be the perfect gaming rig, Overclockingrig or just your clans own mini-server. It's high quality finish and roomyinterior defy you to pin it to a category. SteelSeries Steelpad 5L @ techpowerup.com [Apr-14-06] (0 Comments) SteelSeries has been manufacturing gaming gear for the gaming enthusiast for half a decade. The SteelPad 5L is the latest incarnation of there SteelSeries gaming surface series and today we take the SteelPad 5L for a test drive. The gaming surface at first glance looks like the typical cloth type mouse pads of back in the day when we all had roller style mouses and input devices. The cushion layer thats between the surface and backing resembles a thin layer of neoprene, so the surface has a stiff but sponge like feel to it. The surface is comfortable and smooth to the touch. Let's have a look. Antec P150 Quiet PC Case and Neo HE 430W PSU @ pcper.com [Apr-13-06] (0 Comments) The Antec P150's elegantly simple styling, gloss-white paint job,and brushed-aluminum trim are striking - a refreshing change from thetraditional black or silver finishes. The P150 mini-tower case arrivedsecurely packaged between formed cardboard inserts inside a white,colorfully printed cardboard box. Included with the enclosure is a powercord, bag of screws, and 6 modular power supply cables. While there was nodocumentation, a detailed 10-page User's Manual is available for download onthe Antec website in five different languages. Matrox Triplehead2Go @ bit-tech.net [Apr-12-06] (0 Comments) The interesting thing is that, playing the game, there really is a competitive advantage to having three monitors. Rather than having to look around with the mouse to see to the side of you, you can just glance across at your other monitor. Enemies to the side of you appear in your peripheral vision giving you a heads up where otherwise you would have no idea. Spire VertiCool II SP601B3 AMD & Intel heatsink . @ a1-electronics.net [Apr-11-06] (0 Comments) All in all we think Spire have done a great job with this VertiCool II and have achieved a very good balance between fan noise, size and cooling performance. And of course it is a universal heatsink for all AMD & Intel processors. A Closer Look" @ xyzcomputing.com [Apr-11-06] (0 Comments) There have been lots of opinions and theories about Apple's Boot Camp dual boot system, but few have been able to look past the hype and excitement. Putting aside Apple fanboyism looking more deeply into Boot Camp, this ar ticle attempts to make sense of the choices which Apple has made and to he lp explain this view to readers. This inquiry leads us to a much more vi able explanation of Boot Camp, it is an attempt to broaden Apple's mass ap peal, after all, no one believed that Apple was really interested in promo ting Windows. ArrowMax PSF-500SP 500W Power Supply @ bigbruin.com [Apr-10-06] (0 Comments) If you are building a new system, but not planning on overclocking, running dual video cards, or pushing the system to its maximum, the ArrowMax PSF-500SP is a good choice to help keep the cost down. A Home Theater PC or a family computer would run nicely off this power supply. News @ tekbunker.com [Apr-09-06] (0 Comments) The bustling frontier city of Stormreach, a cauldron of ambition and secret plots, has grown safe and secure as the only gateway to the riches of Xen'drik. But now danger threatens! Few explorers who set out adventuring the lands ever return, and those that do bring back only tales of death and destruction. Are you a match for the fearsome monsters and the dungeons? Can you discover the secret mysteries that threaten Stormreach's very existence? Forge your destiny in Dungeons & Dragons Online:Stormreach!Competition ends 10th April, and is world wide. News @ tekbunker.com [Apr-07-06] (0 Comments) The bustling frontier city of Stormreach, a cauldron of ambition and secret plots, has grown safe and secure as the only gateway to the riches of Xen'drik. But now danger threatens! Few explorers who set out adventuring the lands ever return, and those that do bring back only tales of death and destruction. Are you a match for the fearsome monsters and the dungeons? Can you discover the secret mysteries that threaten Stormreach's very existence? Forge your destiny in Dungeons & Dragons Online:Stormreach!Competition ends 10th April, and is world wide. XKROMA XK-BK1 Computer Case @ rbmods.com [Apr-07-06] (0 Comments) At first glance, the XK-BK1 computer case which is made by XKROMA, is a striking case. With its mirror-like chrome finish and colored LED fans (front and side fans included), the case certainly stands out in a room. However, despite its striking exterior, its modest interior and lack of features do little to distinguish this case from the plethora of computer cases that are out on the market. Thermaltake Silent Boost RX K8 Heatsink @ techtastic.ca [Apr-06-06] (0 Comments) When it comes to CPU heatsinks it's sometimes hard to find a good balance between cooling performance and fan noise. Thermaltake Silent Boost RX K8 Heatsink @ techtastic.ca [Apr-06-06] (0 Comments) When it comes to CPU heatsinks it's sometimes hard to find a good balance between cooling performance and fan noise. Altec Lansing iM11 Portable Audio System @ thinkcomputers.org [Apr-05-06] (0 Comments) The beloved iPod, the most popular MP3 player ever. With the popularity there are tons of companies making accessories tocash in on the iPod's success. Over the past years we have seen a lot of junk accessories. Only a few companies have been able tocome out with good quality iPod accessories. Today we will look at the iM11 from Altec Lansing. Altec Lansing is known for makingquality audio products, so let's see how the iM11's perform. Logitech G5 and G7 Mice @ ngohq.com [Apr-02-06] (0 Comments) If you happen to own an optical mouse and believe it is good enough for gaming then you had better get your wallet out, else you will suffer at the hands of laser-users at your next LAN. And if you think that just because you already own an MX-1000 or some other laser mouse that this article doesn't apply to you - THINK AGAIN! Now so more than ever the humble mouse has become a very large factor in gaming. Alphacool Watercooling Starter Kit @ bit-tech.net [Mar-30-06] (0 Comments) The execution is very good albeit not free from flaws, however minor they may be. It is quite evident that the kit is literally assembled out of components available separately, to improve value and remove the confusion of starting to use water (what Radiator, fitting or tubing for example). If you are planning to use it in it's current state then we suggest you take a good look around before investing in it.If you are looking for the barebones for future upgrades then you couldn't go far wrong with the Alphacool Watercooling Starter Kit as its components can be easily interchanged or added to and quality is evident out of the box as soon as you lift the lid. CeBIT 2006 Photo Report by Crotale @ nordichardware.com [Mar-29-06] (0 Comments) CeBIT is one of the biggest events in the world and it's not easy todescribe exactly how big it is. Take a regular size hockey arena(~7,000-10,000 people), such as the one where DreamHack (the world largestLAN party) is held and multiply it by 27 and you get something similar. News @ tekbunker.com [Mar-29-06] (0 Comments) The bustling frontier city of Stormreach, a cauldron of ambition and secret plots, has grown safe and secure as the only gateway to the riches of Xen'drik. But now danger threatens! Few explorers who set out adventuring the lands ever return, and those that do bring back only tales of death and destruction. Are you a match for the fearsome monsters and the dungeons? Can you discover the secret mysteries that threaten Stormreach's very existence? Forge your destiny in Dungeons & Dragons Online:Stormreach!Competition ends 10th April, and is world wide. ABIT AN8 32X at bit-tech.net @ bit-tech.net [Mar-29-06] (0 Comments) If overclocking is your number one concern and you're looking for an nForce4 SLI motherboard to cater for all of your needs, we still recommend the DFI LANParty nF4 SLI-DR above just about anything else. However, the ABIT has an arguably better and more excessive feature set, while still maintaining a lot of the overclocking characteristics of DFI's supercharged SLI-DR. Those enthusiasts looking for an excessive feature set to rival the one that comes with the ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe should definitely give this motherboard a second look. NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT Video Card @ legitreviews.com [Mar-27-06] (0 Comments) As an enthusiast and overclocker I have to say that if you were planning to upgrade or building a new system I highly recommend looking long and hard at the 7900 GT. If you were thinking of spending within $75 of its asking price I would still look at the performance of this card and beg, steal, or borrow enough to purchase one. The added value that the 100MHz + overclock gives can't be matched anywhere. A pair of these overclocked in SLI is an enthusiast’s dream of bang for the buck... Vizo LAN Dock USB-II multi-function module . @ a1-electronics.net [Mar-22-06] (0 Comments) Some of you may have plenty of USB ports on your PC and you do not need such a handy device like this Vizo LAN Dock but not everybody is in the ideal situation and have to move things around or do not have enough easy to get to ports for their different devices used. Only 3 Days left! Win Dungeons & Dragons Online:Stormreach @ tekbunker.com [Mar-22-06] (0 Comments) The bustling frontier city of Stormreach, a cauldron of ambition and secret plots, has grown safe and secure as the only gateway to the riches of Xen'drik. But now danger threatens! Few explorers who set out adventuring the lands ever return, and those that do bring back only tales of death and destruction. Are you a match for the fearsome monsters and the dungeons? Can you discover the secret mysteries that threaten Stormreach's very existence? Forge your destiny in Dungeons & Dragons Online:Stormreach!Competition ends 25th March, and is world wide. A Nerd in Legoland @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-21-06] (0 Comments) Even though a dress in a fashionable way, wear cool haircuts and go to nightclubs to dance (a lot) electronic music, I cannot hide the truth:I am a nerd. This is easily proven by what I did last weekend. I was driving to San Diego and saw the sign “Legoland 3 miles ahead”. I couldn’t help myself:I needed badly to check Legoland with my own eyes. Aluminus ATX Mid-Tower Case @ overclockersonline.com [Mar-20-06] (0 Comments) Ultra, however, has managed to design a case that can be both betrusted with my hardware and also stand out at a LAN party. There is a lotto like about the Aluminus. Somewhere between the amazing paint job,flawlessly finished, the super easy and efficient installation, the roomyinterior, the wiring options, the oversized window, and the rubber grommets,greatness ensues. Icemat Siberia Headphones @ thinkgaming.org [Mar-18-06] (0 Comments) Sound is an integral part of every computer advocate's life:from listening to music to experiencing the intense andsometimes frightening in-game sound effects. The world of designing headsets that have great sound, look great, and are all costeffective is a demanding and competitive market. Icemat, previously only a mouse pad manufacturer, has taken an interesting stepforward into the audio market with a release of some MP3 players and the Icemat Audio Siberia headphones. In this review we'll belooking at how confident of a step they took and how the sound quality of these headphones compare to another top-of-the-lineheadphone model as well as their durability for traveling LAN partiers and their level of comfort. Thermaltake Matrix VX @ techpowerup.com [Mar-16-06] (0 Comments) The Matrix VX is a new budget case from Thermaltake with a great amount of features borrowed from high-end cases. It is specifically designed for LAN party users with full aluminum, screwless drive installation, two 120mm fans for case ventilation, side panel with large transparent plexiglass and net weight only of 3.8kgs. Altec Lansing AHS302USB Headset @ legitreviews.com [Mar-14-06] (0 Comments) Our search for a quality PC Gaming Headset makes a stop at Altec Lansing where we take a look at their AHS302usb. For a street price of under $30, we still consider this an “entry-level” headset, but for those just getting their feet wet with Skype, this is a comfortable price range... Ctrl-Alt-Del Presents Digital Overload @ thinkcomputers.org [Mar-14-06] (0 Comments) When it comes to the greatest in web-comics Ctrl-Alt-Del is no doubt one of the first to come to mind. It is always on mydaily read list along with countless others. The mastermind creator behind it, Tim Buckley, maintains his own liveliness in additionto creating the comic with his blog posts on current gaming happenings and is revered by many fans world wide. Digital Overload isCtrl-Alt-Del's first attempt at hosting a LAN/gaming event and looks to deliver the same excellence that it serves in web-comic formon the web. HEXUS.lifestyle ::devolo HomePlug 85Mbps mains-networking kit @ lifestyle.hexus.net [Mar-13-06] (0 Comments) It's no exaggeration to say that, in use, devolo'sMicroLink dLAN Highspeed Starter Kit is one of the most elegantpieces of hardware we've tried in all the many years we've been goinghands-on with computers - stretching back to the days of CP/M. It'sprobably one of the easiest to get running, too. Plantronics Discovery 640 Bluetooth Headset @ thinkcomputers.org [Mar-13-06] (0 Comments) Almost every phone you buy now has Bluetooth capability, but almost all of them do not come with an included Bluetoothheadset, most people have to buy an after-market Bluetooth headset. There are so many choices that it's really hard to pick a goodheadset. Plantronics has been making headsets since 1962. They make all different types of headsets, from commercial headsets topersonal and business headsets. Today we will be looking at a great headset from them, the Discovery 640. The discovery 640 featuresa sleek, ultra-light design so let's check it out... News @ tekbunker.com [Mar-11-06] (0 Comments) The bustling frontier city of Stormreach, a cauldron of ambition and secret plots, has grown safe and secure as the only gateway to the riches of Xen'drik. But now danger threatens! Few explorers who set out adventuring the lands ever return, and those that do bring back only tales of death and destruction. Are you a match for the fearsome monsters and the dungeons? Can you discover the secret mysteries that threaten Stormreach's very existence? Forge your destiny in Dungeons & Dragons Online:Stormreach!Competition ends 25th March, and is world wide. NVIDIA's Big Launch Day - 7900, 7600, Quad SLI and Notebook SLI @ pcper.com [Mar-09-06] (0 Comments) There was some wild speculation from various news sites that the G71would have as many as 48 pixel pipes to compete with the ATI R580 GPU thatdoes have 48 of them, but that did not turn out to be true. NVIDIA saidwhile they had the ability to add more pipes of any kind to their alreadysegmented architecture, they felt they had found a very good balance withthe G70 that provided outstanding performance as well as great performanceper watt and performance per clock results too. Techgage 1st Birthday Contest -- Week 2 @ techgage.com [Mar-09-06] (0 Comments) March 1, 2005 marked the launch date of Techgage, and weplan tocelebrate it's first birthday right! There are three separate conteststhat's you can enter, with over 30 prizes to give away. Check it out..there's something for everyone! Sierra Wireless Voq Professional Smartphone @ atruereview.com [Mar-08-06] (0 Comments) One gem I happened to come across on the Internet is the VoqProfessional Smartphone from Sierra Wireless. At its prime (late 2004), theVoq smartphone had a cost about the same as any other Windows poweredsmartphone (~$500). However, it never got picked up by a service carrierand eventually was discontinued by Sierra Wireless. Though there are a lotof cons about being discontinued (such as extremely limited support andavailability), one good piece of news is that the Voq smartphone isavailable for less than $150 from the few stores that still carry it. Thisheavy discount makes Voq one of the best values for a smartphone,especially without service plan. While the price may be right, just whatdoes Sierra Wireless' Voq Smartphone offer? Intel's Merom and Conroe Details @ pcper.com [Mar-08-06] (0 Comments) With all this new energy efficiency from Intel's new core, it wouldseem that single core processors might again be an option but Intel is notgoing down that path. This slide shows what Intel's sees as the balancebetween power consumption and performance. The center two bars representthe current status of a single core performance normalized and a single corepower usage normalized as well. On the left of that you'll see a typicallyoverclocked processor, as many of our readers are familiar with. DFI LANParty Venus nF4 SLI-DR Expert Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-07-06] (0 Comments) We took a look on LANParty Venus nF4 SLI-DR Expert from DFI, which is a high-end limited edition motherboard for socket 939 Athlon 64 CPUs based on nForce 4 SLI that comes in a jewelry box. Logitech Precision PC Gaming Headset @ legitreviews.com [Mar-06-06] (0 Comments) For a retail price of $29.95, the Logitech Precision PC Gaming Headset is popular with users attempting for the first time to use real-time communication in gaming as well as other chat programs such as Skype or Google-Talk. At first glance, this set would seem to have everything a gamer and a grandmother would need. ASRock 775XFire-eSATA2 @ techpowerup.com [Mar-05-06] (0 Comments) ASRock is a subsidiary of ASUS and manufactures low-cost motherboards. The ASRock 775XFire-eSATA2 for Intel Socket LGA775 is based on Intel's i945 chipset and can run ATI Crossfire. Due to a lack of PCI-E lanes in the Intel chipset this is only possible in x16/x4, but this board costs only USD 80. Techgage 1st Birthday Contest (Link this time) @ techgage.com [Mar-02-06] (0 Comments) March 1, 2005 marked the launch date of Techgage, and weplan tocelebrate it's first birthday right! There are three separate conteststhat's you can enter, with over 25 prizes to give away. Check it out..there's something for everyone! TechConnect Magazine's Exploring the Source @ tcmagazine.info [Mar-02-06] (0 Comments) ....from WWII-based shooters, to fantasy worlds with telekinetic witches, there is a project out there to suit just about every gaming preference, extending the game’s value exponentially, with extra episodes to play in the Half Life 2 universe, or new, fantastic voyages to virgin gaming lands. Let’s jump into the rabbit hole, and see what else we can take our crowbars to. Competition ends 25th March @ tekbunker.com [Mar-01-06] (0 Comments) The bustling frontier city of Stormreach, a cauldron of ambition and secret plots, has grown safe and secure as the only gateway to the riches of Xen'drik. But now danger threatens! Few explorers who set out adventuring the lands ever return, and those that do bring back only tales of death and destruction. Are you a match for the fearsome monsters and the dungeons? Can you discover the secret mysteries that threaten Stormreach's very existence? Forge your destiny in Dungeons & Dragons Online:Stormreach! Corsair DDR2 5400UL and 8000UL Memory @ pcper.com [Feb-28-06] (0 Comments) What we see above will obviously be the big draw to the Corsair XMS25400UL and 8000UL dual-channel kits. The overclocking results are a bitsurprising and is likely attributed to the combination of hardware andcooling I used in this review. These Corsair modules have a lot of potentialand should do well in an overclocker's setup. However, as we have seen in the testing, decreasing timings and increasingfrequency alone will not improve performance drastically. So if you'relooking into boosting performance, make sure you upgrade the right part. Linksys WRT54GC Wireless Router - Digital Grabber @ digitalgrabber.com [Feb-27-06] (0 Comments) When connected directly to the router using the Ethernet ports, both LAN toWAN and WAN to LAN speed were measured at about 47Mbits per second. Notquite the 100Mbit/sec but a good performance neither the less. Wirelessperformance without the optional high gain antenna was superb for such asmall router. I measured wireless speed at 24.5Mbits/sec with my notebookright next to the router, dropping to 23.5Mbit/sec when I moved 15 feetaway. Speed dropped to 20.5Mbit/sec when I went into the next room and therewas a wall for the signal to go though. Basically this means you'll be ableto enjoy very fast wireless speed in your hotel room and your friends in thenext room will enjoy very good performance as well. Gigabyte G-Power Lite CPU Cooler @ xyzcomputing.com [Feb-27-06] (0 Comments) Although Gigabyte has made a name for itself by producing motherboards an d video cards, lately they have focused increasingly on other types of har dware. Among these have been their CPU coolers, which are not that commo n but have been getting some positive press and look quite promising. Th is review is going to be taking a look at Gigabyte's G-Power Lite CPU cool er. This unit is Gigabyte's take on a fairly conventional heatpipe CPU c ooler. At first glance it appears to be just what most enthusiasts are l ooking for- quiet, more powerful than the stock cooler, and easy to instal l. It uses a fairly large fan and three heatpipes to get the job done. This formula has been a success in the past, so expectations are high. Socket's GPS Nav Kit @ techtastic.ca [Feb-25-06] (0 Comments) Are you planning a trip to a place you've never been before? Well, now you can add a complete in-car navigation GeCube X1800 @ bit-tech.net [Feb-24-06] (0 Comments) Unfortunately for GeCube, Sapphire seem to be blanketing the market with aggressively priced Radeon X1900s available for as little as £346.98 including VAT, which means there's little point spending £20 less to get something that is slower in just about every title. The price of Radeon X1900XT is testament to the real availability of the X1900-series cards, with the exception of the All-In-Wonder X1900. Ultimately, the low prices and real availability of Radeon X1900 is good news for the consumer. A Beginner's Guide to Air Cooling Your Smokin Hot Computer @ bonafidereviews.com [Feb-23-06] (0 Comments) Computers are getting faster and faster every week. Faster, denser CPU's, motherboards, and video cards are coming out all the time and all of these things generate more and more heat. It used to be that you could count on the little fan in your power supply to suck the hot air out and keep everything humming along just fine. Try that on some machines today and you'll end up with a heap of smoking silicon and plastic and a decidedly dull, blank monitor to stare at. Altec Lansing inMotion iM716 Portable HD Audio System @ bonafidereviews.com [Feb-22-06] (0 Comments) Noise isolating earphones may seem like a simple idea; the combination of noise-blocking earplugs with earphones seems natural. However only recently has this idea been brought to the market by market leaders, Etymotic Research. Altec Lansing has collaborated with Etymotic to produce its own flavor of noise isolating earphones. Here’s how they stack up against Etymotic’s own offerings. Kodak EasyShare V550 Digital Camera @ xyzcomputing.com [Feb-20-06] (0 Comments) This review is going be taking a look at Kodak's V550 digital camera. T his five megapixel digital camera is quite small and is clearly aimed at c ompeting with cameras like Canon's popular PowerShot SD line. This is a tough segment of the market because it must balance style, size, and image quality. We are going to take a good, hard look at the V550 and see how it sizes up. Kodak is not the market leader the way that Canon is, but their EasyShare line has been able to hold its own, and it should be worth y competition. [News] Editorial:The Dual Core CPU Decision @ VH Diceman [Feb-19-06] (0 Comments) To ensure the best performing system, keep in mind that all your systemworks together so don't expect a miracle with a dual core CPU if the rest ofyour system is weak. Plan your dual core upgrade or system the right way andyou'll have a heavyweight in your corner News At Tekbunker @ tekbunker.com [Feb-18-06] (0 Comments) The bustling frontier city of Stormreach, a cauldron of ambition and secret plots, has grown safe and secure as the only gateway to the riches of Xen'drik. But now danger threatens! Few explorers who set out adventuring the lands ever return, and those that do bring back only tales of death and destruction. Are you a match for the fearsome monsters and the dungeons? Can you discover the secret mysteries that threaten Stormreach's very existence? Forge your destiny in Dungeons & Dragons Online:Stormreach! News At Tekbunker @ tekbunker.com [Feb-18-06] (0 Comments) The bustling frontier city of Stormreach, a cauldron of ambition and secret plots, has grown safe and secure as the only gateway to the riches of Xen'drik. But now danger threatens! Few explorers who set out adventuring the lands ever return, and those that do bring back only tales of death and destruction. Are you a match for the fearsome monsters and the dungeons? Can you discover the secret mysteries that threaten Stormreach's very existence? Forge your destiny in Dungeons & Dragons Online:Stormreach! Black Motorola Razr V3 @ digitalgrabber.com [Feb-18-06] (0 Comments) At first glance, the phone appears like a small PDA. It is rather wide butnot high (comparable with current clamshells by this feature). When you holdthe phone you will immediately see and feel that it is very thin (less than14 mm). When opened, the phone is even thinner, especially the top. The topedge of the phone is very sharp. Planon RC800 Portable Color Scanner @ thinkcomputers.org [Feb-18-06] (0 Comments) Technology, I love it, if I didn't I wouldn't be doing reviews now would I? Anyway, I've always found it very interesting towatch as technology changes, I've noticed one major constant about most technology, as it changes it gets smaller. Take scanners forinstance, I have a few of them, an older one that is pretty big, you could use it for a computer case if need be, if I lined them upin order of age you would find that they get smaller as they get newer. Today for review I have the smallest scanner yet, it's fromPlanon, and they actually made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. Interested? Read on to check it out. Aluminum Spire Mod @ metku.net [Feb-17-06] (0 Comments) I decided to turn the old plans vertical and mod my girlfriends PC, because her computer was noisy and ugly (some old compaq case). Because of the comments I have received from my friends, I have to state that this case has nothing to do with Xbox360. I Designed my case before I ever saw the xbox. Case Made of Fans @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-15-06] (0 Comments) This guy from New Zealand solved his overheating problem with a very curious (and funny) solution. He built up a case using... fans! There are 70 of them. Really amazing, see the pics below. If you want more info on this project, check his website at http://www.peteredge.orcon.net.nz/casepics.htm. Funny enough he claims that it didn't improve CPU temperature at all, however the system/motherboard temperature was pretty stable at 23-24º C (73~75º F). This solution should be very noisy... Altec Lansing IM7 Portable Audio System @ xyzcomputing.com [Feb-15-06] (0 Comments) In addition to having a huge impact on the portable music scene, Apple's i Pod have revolutionized the entire field of electronics accessories. Unl ike any device before it, the design of the iPod has compelled owners to s pend hundreds of extra dollars adding on to their player. Aside from the cost of music, which is a given with any portable music device, iPod owne rs have shown no reservations towards purchasing speakers, headphones, cam eras, radio transmitters, socks, and a whole lot more, in order to get all they can out of this ubiquitous device. A few days ago we took a look a t Altec Lansing's IM5 a small audio system for the iPod. This review tak es a look at the IM7, a device which has the same function, but features m ajor upgrades to the sound equipment. The IM7 increases the size of the speakers from an alarm clock size up to that of a boombox. This one-tric k-pony is simply speaker for your iPod, but this is something which is in high demand, so let's see how it worked out. New article at Laptop Gamers - Laptop Gamers & LAN Parties Go Hand In Hand @ laptopgamers.com [Feb-13-06] (0 Comments) With today's high power mobile processors and video cards, laptops are every Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 Liquid Cooler @ viperlair.com [Feb-11-06] (0 Comments) The Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 is by far the easiest liquid cooling setup we've ever worked with. It's not a click and run type of deal, but it's no harder than most performance air coolers and much easier than even the Koolance EXOS to setup. Everything is done; fill and bleed, clamping tubes, kit assembly. All the user has to do is put it into their setup and that's it. Interview With Phil Hester, AMDs Corporate VP and CTO @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-10-06] (0 Comments) Exclusive interview with Phil Hester, AMD’s Corporate VP and CTO, discussing AMD’s plans, strategies, new CPUs and a little bit of his professional life and experience. Altec Lansing IM5 Portable Audio System @ xyzcomputing.com [Feb-09-06] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing has done a very good job of capitalizing on the success of t he portable media devices with a line of products designed to be used with them. Their inMotion series offers a number of different products which work directly with Ipods, Treos, and even XM2go receivers as speakers so that the portable devices can be used, at home or on the go, do that users can listen without headphones. This review is going to take a look at A ltec Lansing's IM5 speaker system. This highly portable system is design ed to work with any version of the Ipod and to be able to deliver high qua lity sound without the need for headphones. Samsung DVD-HD850 UpConversion DVD Player @ lanaddict.com [Feb-07-06] (0 Comments) Supporting more formats than most DVD Players out there right now, you shouldn\'t have any problems playing any of your movies. Sporting standard RCA and S-Video connections makes it no problem to hook this Player up to your analog TV. If you\'re lucky enough to afford an HDTV Compatible TV, you have Component Video connections for your standard Hi-Def signal, or HDMI connections for an UpConverted Hi-Def signal to max out your TV and push it to its limits! X-Micro WLAN 11g Combo Finder Adapter @ thinkcomputers.org [Feb-03-06] (0 Comments) Hey, another cool product from X-Micro, and I really mean it, this is a cool little device. When I first heard I was gettingit for review, I didn't pay attention and I thought it was just a WiFi finder, but it is actually a WiFi 802.11g USB adapter aswell. My router died recently, and I had to get a new one, so I opted to get one with 802.11g built in so I could use my laptopwithout hooking an Ethernet cable to it. My other computers I use for reviews etc all need to have Ethernet cables run to them to beon my network, but now I can just plug the X-Micro into any computer and instant wireless access is mine! Plantronics DSP-500 headset @ bit-tech.net [Feb-02-06] (0 Comments) Overall, the Plantronics DSP-500 is a very solid headset. Although the audio quality listening to music isn't great, it acquits itself very well in games and in VoIP scenarios, especially given the strong bass response and the excellent quality of the microphone. If you're looking for a good pair of gaming cans, we'd really advise you to give these a look. New article at Laptop Gamers:Why Your Next PC Should Be A Laptop @ laptopgamers.com [Feb-01-06] (0 Comments) Laptop computers are becoming very popular. They seem to be popping up everywhere:on tv shows, on airplanes, in movies, or in your friend's lap. These sleek little machines are invading our daily lives like never before... and the invasion has just started. Find out why they have become so popular with their users and why your next PC should probably be a laptop computer. Where in the world? @ bit-tech.net [Feb-01-06] (0 Comments) We at bit-tech towers decided that we wanted to investigate exactly where all our favourite gear comes from and how it gets made. We embarked on a gruelling world tour to find the offices and the manufacturing plants of all the top companies that we cared about, and then put finger to keyboard to report back to you. Did you know that some of the top enthusiast components in the world are designed in Canada? That one of the most anticipated games of 2006 is being developed in the Ukraine? That one of your daily website reads comes out of Alaska? Thought not! Altec Lansing AHP-712I Active Noise Reduction Headphones @ bonafidereviews.com [Feb-01-06] (0 Comments) “Noise canceling” headphones have been around for awhile, but only recently have the prices dropped to levels most of us can afford. While the BOSE Quiet Comfort 2 still reigns supreme in both price and performance, dozens of manufacturers, have introduced competing models at a fraction of the cost. A good example is Altec Lansing’s AHP 712i which sells at just a quarter of the price. Digital Zoom Versus Optical Zoom @ digitalgrabber.com [Jan-30-06] (0 Comments) The digital camera is but a technological advancement of the conventionalanalog camera. And thus every component of the analog camera must have beenupgraded or changed to bring in some improvisations. This discussion is aneffort to unravel alteration and make one comparison between what was andwhat is! This discussion is thereby focused upon a very critical componentof a camera (analog as well as digital), the zoom! New at Laptop Gamers:Altec Lansing XT1 Laptop Speaker @ laptopgamers.com [Jan-26-06] (0 Comments) If you're a laptop user than you know built-in laptop speakers are pretty Altec Lansing iM616 Headphones @ thinkcomputers.org [Jan-25-06] (0 Comments) Well when most of us think of high quality headphones we think of over-the-ear phones. You know the big bulky ones. If youown an iPod or MP3 player then you should know what ear buds are. They are small earphones that actually go into your ears. We allhave heard of Altec Lansing, they make quality speakers and other audio products. Today for review I have their inMotion 616 (iM616)portable audio system. You will see that these are not your average ear buds; they are quality made and perform great. X-Micro Stereo media phone (Bluetooth) @ rbmods.com [Jan-24-06] (0 Comments) X-micro is a company that makes quality products in pretty much every aspect. You can find Bluetooth, mp3, Wlan etc... from them and they all are easy to use and high quality yet still affordable for the normal consumer. We have reviewed alot of their products in the past but today we have something different from them. It's a Bluetooth stereo media phone, and with this device you can basically talk on Skype, listen to music, etc... through this Bluetooth device. You connect a BL dongle in your computer and with this device cliped onto your pants or shirt and you can have wireless music or Skype at home. VoyeurMods PC Ice Coolant @ gruntville.com [Jan-13-06] (0 Comments) Previously you coul d find water-replacements and add-ins that would help with lubrication or corrosio n, or even cooling. However, many of them are conductive, meaning that a leak i n a system with them is just as dangerous as one in a pure water system.. N eedless to say I was very interested to see if the PC Ice lived up to these claims. AMD Athlon FX60 @ bit-tech.net [Jan-10-06] (0 Comments) With that said, with the exception of one multi-tasking scenario, the Athlon 64 FX-60 is the fastest all-round processor on the planet. The Pentium Extreme Edition 955 may be attractive to someone who often finds themselves wanting to do more than two things at the same time, but that market is limited to a few die hard power users. However, it's worth noting that there are rare occasions where I find myself running out of processor power with my current Athlon 64 X2. :Next generation NVIDIA GPU details and 3DMarks @ hexus.net [Jan-10-06] (0 Comments) It would seem that a few key NVIDIA partners have already beensampled with GeForce 7900, and they're currently working towards ahard launch planned for CeBIT 2006 in Hannover, Germany (9th throughto 15th March), and if so, our money's would be on watching forannouncements from NVIDIA, ASUSTeK, eVGA, XFX and possibly MSI,between the 9th and 11th March. Enemy of the State of Privacy @ btxformfactor.info [Jan-04-06] (0 Comments) In the 1998 movie, =93Enemy of the State=94, actor Will Smith's personal privacy is invaded by his own government using high technology devices planted in his home, office and even on his person. Sounds far fetched? The technology does exist to do everything portrayed in the movie and much more. The only difference between the movie and real life is that unlike the movie where government agents physically entered the home and office of Smith, this is not necessary to breach the privacy of any citizen. Gregwired Panosaurus Spherical Tripod Head @ xyzcomputing.com [Jan-03-06] (0 Comments) While traveling in Europe with my old Canon Powershot S45 point-and-shoot digital camera, I came across a function on the device called =93Stitch A ssist,=94 designed to help the photographer line up pieces of a multi-shot panorama for later stitching using specialized panorama-stitching softwar e. Realizing its potential, I made as much use of it as I possibly could , and came up with some rather beautiful images that I was able to stitch together at home on my PC. Many of these shots were taken of broad lands capes with most detail lying in the background. However, I found that th e shots with foreground detail tended to be impossible to properly stitch together, even with high-quality software. There were two problems with these shots. Firstly, even though I used the Stitch Assist feature, I st ill held the camera by hand, and there was just no way for me to keep the camera centered in space while I panned around the scene without using a t ripod. But even if I had a tripod with me, the second issue would have r eared its ugly head:parallax error. Titan Eagle Universal VGA Cooler @ thinkcomputers.org [Dec-30-05] (0 Comments) Titan is a relative newcomer to the cooling business, but from what I have seen they are a rising star. They produce qualityproducts that not only look good but perform good as well. It seems everyone is coming up with aftermarket cooling solutions fortoday's high end video cards, and everyone is trying to lure customers with some sort of attractive packaging. Recently I reviewedthe Evercool Nighthawk VGA cooler, its cover was in the shape of a Stealth Airplane. Today for review I have the Titan EagleUniversal VGA cooler, as the name suggests it has an eagle theme to it. It might look good but does it perform? Let's find out. Zalman Headset @ moditory.com [Dec-28-05] (0 Comments) Zalman is known for making products that will keep your computerquiet and cool. It looks like they're blazing a different trail this timearound with their 5.1 Surround Sound headphones. Headphones have alwaysbeen great, especially for LAN parties:portable, small, lightweight, anddecent sound. However, with the debut of 5.1 on the computer, surroundsound was eventually pushed from speaker systems to headsets and here weare. With many sets out there, it might get confusing which one to buy. Soto help you in your search for the best pair of headphones we present toyou, with support from Directron.com, our review of the Zalman Theatre 6Mheadset. SanSun Arctic 500W Modular PSU @ techniz.co.uk [Dec-26-05] (0 Comments) The SanSun Arctic 500W Modular PSU is a powerful PSU with the white pear land stylish housing and the the dual cooling fan. With the dual 12V railsof power, it will support many peripheral devices without any problems.The overall performance of the Arctic PSU is very stable and able tosupport the SLI setup without any problems..... Thermaltake Shark Case @ gruntville.com [Dec-19-05] (0 Comments) The big PSU went in with ease, as Thermaltake leaves plenty of headroom to allow for large PSU 's. This additional headroom provides the space for a water cooling setup. Install ation of the motherboard with processor, HSF and memory was simple, thanks to the removable tray. The video and sound card were secured easily with the inc luded case screws. My previous Thermaltake case used plastic brackets to hold t he cards in place, but I ended up removing them in lieu of case screws. You don't want some of your most precious/expensive items coming loose in transport t o a LAN. The hard drives were screwed into the rail kits and went in smoothly. Razer Copperhead Gaming Mouse @ thetechlounge.com [Dec-16-05] (0 Comments) Razer has been developing gaming mice for about the last 6 or 7 years.By now most gamers are familiar with the ground breaking Razer Boomslangmouse, a 2,000 DPI mechanical (ball-type) gaming mouse that outshinedits nearest competitors when it was released. But that was the 90s.Mechanical innards have given way to laser optics and the RazerCopperhead has been born of the Boomslang’s genes. Blu-Ray Disc Format Interview @ hardwareaccelerated.com [Dec-15-05] (0 Comments) From a customer perspective, there are so many companies involvedwith the development of the format that will ultimately be producingproducts. The number of product offerings available will certainly beseen as a great benefit. Content protection will be a focus as welland it will be done with both the studios and consumer's interests inmind. Flexibility and the ability to do more with digital contentpost-purchase is something everyone is looking forward to. Featuressuch as managed copy are being developed with the customer's needs inmind. Bigbruin.com : Vantec Nexstar3 USB/eSATA Hard Drive Enclosure @ bigbruin.com [Dec-12-05] (0 Comments) The aluminum enclosure has a sleek and classic look to it, with a b lack mirror finish and chrome colored accents. On the one side it shows t he logo and the connection labels. The reverse side is blank except for f our little rubber feet, if you decide to lay it flat. Once you turn the u nit on, the Vantec logo on the front of the enclosure will flash when the h ard drive is accessed. Tracing trends in multiplayer FPS @ bit-tech.net [Dec-08-05] (0 Comments) I would argue that another characteristic of an arcade shooter is that the use of tactics is very different from something like an out- and-out tactical shooter. Playing CS or Ghost Recon, tactics become a matter of team organisation, intimate map knowledge and pre-planning of a battle plan. Those concepts play a small roll in arcade shooters, but tactics here revolve more around weapon strategy, as well as domination of key items and areas. With CS, your weapons are a given - there is no tactical advantage to be had from dominating an item on the map. In Quake, the player who spends the most time with the rocket launcher on a small, enclosed map will have a big advantage. Likewise, the ability to consistently nail the Railgun on The Longest Yard (combined with hours of pixel-perfecting practice) will yield the tactical advantage. DFI Ultra LANParty UT nF4 Ultra-D @ viperlair.com [Dec-08-05] (0 Comments) An enthusiast’s enthusiast motherboard. Tweaks, tweaks and more tweaks make this a must choice outside of an SLI solution for the overclocker extraordinaire. Sexy looks and performance to match it, DFI hits the mark, again. Silverstone SUGO SG01 SFF Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Dec-05-05] (0 Comments) Small form factor (SFF) cases are becoming more and more popular these days, especially as LANS and home theater PC's arebecoming the 'IN' thing. Only a few companies have really pursued the making of a quality SFF case. I recently reviewed one byAntec, today I have one from Silverstone, both companies are known for their quality products. Silverstone has ventured into theHTPC market with lots of quality entries, the SFF PC case I have today can be one of those entries or it can be a nice LAN gamingrig as well. For review I have the Silverstone SG01 or SUGO series, it utilizes a Micro ATX motherboard, but features space for afull sized ATX power supply and full sized PCI cards. Samsung 970P LCD Display @ xyzcomputing.com [Dec-05-05] (0 Comments) There is a lot of competition in the display field but Samsung has done a good job of staying a bit ahead of their competitors, usually in terms of product specifications, but also design. With the ever increasing preve lance of LCD displays Samsung's advantage has been tougher to maintain and the margin by which they lead the industry has slimmed. In the 970P Sam sung is going back to the principles which earned them their lead in the L CD market. This product is clearly an update to the acclaimed 193P, with a few twists thrown in, including a revamped design, unique connectivity, and an all new LCD panel. The 970P is by far the most interesting model of all those Samsung recently released- it will be turning more than a fe w heads year and probably setting the tone for many displays in 2006. Crucial 2gig 3200 Value kit @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Dec-04-05] (0 Comments) Now I don't know about you but I personally think 2 gig kits arepretty expensive and I believe around 50-60 percent of gamers won't beplanning this sort of upgrade due to the cost involved. So step forwardCrucial's 3200 value 2 gig kit. Priced at $321 dollars (or $289 if youvisit Crucial before Christmas) and £219 respectively would it be goodenough to make the gamer used to performance ram with low timings makethe switch to a value 2 gig kit as the price is too high and out ofthere reach for a low latency performance 2 gig set? Well that's what weare here to find outLink:http://www.xtremecomputing.co.uk/review.php?id=220 60x60 thumb:http://www.xtremecomputing.co.uk/images/review/preview220.jpg Larger thumb:http://www.xtremecomputing.co.uk/images/review/preview220a.jpg As always a news post is appreciated and thanks in Advance Regards,Richard The Ultimate Matrix Collection @ monster-hardware.com [Dec-03-05] (0 Comments) At first glance you might wonder what a hardware site is doing reviewing The Ultimate Matrix Collection DVD box set. But instead of me making some tenuous long-winded connection of how the virtual world of The Matrix is starting to resemble today's MMORPG, I thought I would just say that it's The Matrix, it's way cool, and Christmas is coming. Abit AN8-SLI @ bit-tech.net [Dec-03-05] (0 Comments) If you're looking for dual ethernet and more than four SATA ports, you would be better looking elsewhere. However, if you aren't looking for an nForce4 SLI motherboard with more than one ethernet port and four SATA II ports, the AN8-SLI makes for a good purchase if you are planning on air cooling. If you are looking to use watercooling, you might want to consider something with an active cooling solution on the PWMs next to the CPU socket. As an air cooled overclockers motherboard, this board does its job remarkably well. Altec Lansing XT1 Portable Speakers @ thinkcomputers.org [Dec-01-05] (0 Comments) With Laptops becoming cheaper, more portable, and more powerful, there have been a lot of portable products coming out.These products are becoming very popular and many major manufacturers have been coming out with great portable items. Today we aregoing to be taking a look at a set of portable speakers from Altec Lansing. These are no cheap portable speakers that you might findfor $20 at your local PC shop. These speakers retail for $99.95 and sure pack a punch. Street price on them is a bit lower if youcan find them. So let's check out the Altec Lansing XT1 Portable Speakers! :e-GeForce 7800 GTX BlackPearl 512MB - Full @ hexus.net [Nov-30-05] (0 Comments) The EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GTX BlackPearl 512MB is faster out ofthe box than the XFX, overclocks further and does it all quieter,cooled by a decent and easy-to-fit watercooling kit. The choice offittings and tubing diameters means that it should be an easyintegration into an existing watercooling setup, too. So what's notto like, from what's current the fastest retail consumer graphicscard on the planet? DFI Infinity NF4 Ultra @ overclockersonline.com [Nov-28-05] (0 Comments) The DFI Infinity nF4 Ultra is a very solid motherboard. The buildquality is great and the components that are used are top notch and seem tobe almost the same as the LanParty Ultra-D. I have basically compared thesetwo motherboards throughout the review and have come to the conclusion thatthe Infinity nF4 Ultra is almost the same model but without the options oraccessory package. Call it the base model if you will with the LanPartyUltra-D being the GT or Type-R version that has slightly better performanceand more buttons. DFI Infinity NF4 Ultra @ overclockersonline.com [Nov-28-05] (0 Comments) The DFI Infinity nF4 Ultra is a very solid motherboard. The buildquality is great and the components that are used are top notch and seem tobe almost the same as the LanParty Ultra-D. I have basically compared thesetwo motherboards throughout the review and have come to the conclusion thatthe Infinity nF4 Ultra is almost the same model but without the options oraccessory package. Call it the base model if you will with the LanPartyUltra-D being the GT or Type-R version that has slightly better performanceand more buttons. DFI LanParty NF4 SLI-DR Expert @ techpowerup.com [Nov-27-05] (0 Comments) When I first heard that DFI is coming up with a new Nitro Ax Full Tower Server Case @ atruereview.com [Nov-26-05] (0 Comments) I'm tired of reviewing the same type of cases. Same interior and adifferent front face, that is the typical mid-tower today. Maybe that iswhy I truly enjoy the server cases. They have plenty of room and greatcooling. The looks can be bland at times, but some are very professionallooking. No matter what though, they are innovative. That is why I wasexcited when I-Star offered me the chance to review their Nitro Ax servercase. Via K8T900 p @ bit-tech.net [Nov-22-05] (0 Comments) The chipset appears to be a very competitive one from VIA. At least, in terms of performance. The K8T900 reference board managed to match the popular DFI LANParty nF4 SLI-DR across our selection of real- world and gaming scenarios. The platform appears to work well, too, which is good to see from a reference motherboard. New content @ techneek.co.uk [Nov-21-05] (0 Comments) Toshiba have sent us their latest, and fastest DVD ±R/RW drive - the SD-R5472 6x burn speed dual layer drive. Supporting a whole range of DVD and CD types, it has the ability to store upto 8.5gb on a single disk, and it's very fast read and write speeds, at first glances this looks like the ultimate drive. But is it? We find out! WinBackup 2.0 Professional @ moditory.com [Nov-16-05] (0 Comments) As far as day to day computing goes, I consider myself a prettyaverage user. I surf the Internet, check my email, and once in a while(perhaps far too often) I'll play a computer game or two. While I can notspeak for every computer user on the planet, I know that I can say for afact that my computer isn't just an appliance; it's a major and importa ntpart of my life. In a way it is kind of like my wallet, it contains a lotof important and sensitive data that if lost, could make my life verydifficult.This is where WinBackup 2.0 Professional comes in. Instead of letting you rdata just sit on your hard drive waiting for an operating system error, avirus, or a hardware failure to come in a wipe out your data it allows yo uto adopt a more proactive posture towards keeping your important dataintact. Water addictives, Water Wetter & Super Coolant . @ a1-electronics.net [Nov-15-05] (0 Comments) How did we test in this review. We used our lab review heatsink test bench as always and to ensure that this was as accurate as possible and used the Vantec Stingray we still had on the heatsink test bench. We did not disturb the CPU heatsink block only drained the system down and refilled with water and or addictive as needed. 7800 GTX with 512MB @ bit-tech.net [Nov-14-05] (0 Comments) We think it is fairly safe to say that this video card is the fastest video card on the planet with no exception to that fact. In newer DirectX 9.0c titles that have come out over the last few weeks and months, we have seen that the GeForce 7800 GTX 512MB is considerably faster than the Radeon X1800XT 512MB. Gigabyte 8N-SLI Quad Royal P @ pcper.com [Nov-12-05] (0 Comments) This final table breaks down the settings for the Gigabyte QuadRoyal motherboard depending on your desired GPU configuration. If you planon having two ATI and two NVIDIA cards, Gigabyte recommends setting thenorth bridge paddle in SLI mode and putting the ATI cards in the first andsecond PEG slots. If you look at the options you can now effectively haveNVIDIA SLI running on your system and still use another ATI graphics cardfor multi-monitor support and thereby get around the annoyance of disablinga monitor whenever you want to play a game. Asus A8N32-SLI NF4 SLI X16 Motherboard @ pcper.com [Nov-11-05] (0 Comments) With a $75 premium, does the new NF4 SLI X16 chipset add enough tothe A8N32-SLI to justify buying it over last generation's SLI? If you planon gaming at resolutions of 16x12 and above only and have or will have7-series GPUs to run in SLI mode, then yes, I think the NF4 SLI X16 chipsetis going to be your best option. As we move forward in the world ofscalable graphics, I think both NVIDIA and ATI will find more reasons tosell us two GPUs besides increasing the frame rate of our games -- SLI AAbeing just the first of many. And those new reasons will no doubt requirelots of PCIe bandwidth. Foxconn WinFast 761GXK8MC-S Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Nov-10-05] (0 Comments) The Foxconn WinFast 761GXK8MC-S motherboard is based upon a new chipset from SiS which has a couple media-friendly assets. The SiS 761GX chipset supports all current AMD Athlon64 or Sempron processors, in this case on the socket 754 formfactor. The SiS 761GX is an integrated chipset which features SiS' Mirage 1 graphics core. Elsewhere on the WinFast 761GXK8MC-S motherboard are two DDR memory sockets for up to a maximum of 2GB of PC3200 DDR memory. Onboard goodies are kind of thin outside of the integrated graphics, with just 10/100 LAN, SATA, and audio standing out. The microATX board includes one PCI Express x16 slot and three 32 bit PCI slots. Super Monkey Ball Deluxe @ ukgamer.com [Nov-10-05] (0 Comments) So what is that formula? You control a monkey, inside of a rolling ball with the aim of getting to the end of increasingly fiendish levels whilst picking up as many bananas along the way. Sounds easy and in the early levels it is quite straight forward, but as you progress along the single player game levels become more and more intricate, requiring the accuracy of a Swiss timepiece and the balance of a tight rope walker as you bounce, slide and roll your way over the finish line of each level. Oblivion interview @ bit-tech.net [Nov-10-05] (0 Comments) Oblivion will absolutely benefit from a multi-processor or multi- core PC architecture. These improvements have largely been driven by our optimizations for the Xbox 360 hardware. We have built a dynamic thread management system that manages processor load by our specific direction and by priorities. Portions of physics, AI, loading, audio, and rendering tasks can all be moved to different threads to keep the overall load balanced. The net result for the end user is a smoother experience. Epox 8NPA SLI Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Nov-10-05] (0 Comments) If you were one of the early adopters of an AMD Athlon64 processor in the Socket 754 formfactor, congratulations! The bevy of new Socket 754 motherboards being released will extend the investment you made in that processor all those months ago. The Epox 8NPA SLI supports all Socket 754 Athlon64 or Sempron processors, comes equipped with two DIMM slots and supports a maximum of 2GB of PC3200 DDR memory. Other onboard goodies, some new to Socket 754 are nVIDIA's Serial ATA II RAID controller, Gigabit LAN, and 5.1 channel audio. My personal favorite is the Port 80 diagnostics card. "The Convergence of Monitors and Televisions" @ xyzcomputing.com [Nov-09-05] (0 Comments) Now, more than a few months into the time of LCD dominance in the compute r market, flat panel televisions are becoming more accessible to consumers than ever before. Just as LCD computer monitors made rapid inroads into the market in the late 90s, the shift it starting to be made in televisio ns as well. This situation is no surprise though, for a few years now co nsumers have seen prohibitively expensive flat panel televisions in stores , bars, and in the homes celebrities and wanted to have their own. The p icture quality and dimensions of flat screen televisions have landed them on almost every consumer's wish list. With computers and televisions usi ng flat panel technology (normally LCD, but plasma as well), it is becomin g clear that the two products are on a collision course. The growing sim ilarities between LCD televisions and displays coupled with the increasing interactivity between computers and the home theater has made this practi cally an inevitability. Silverstone Temjin 5 (TJ05) @ casemodgod.com [Nov-07-05] (0 Comments) This extended ATX case could be the perfect gaming rig, Overclocking rig or just your clans own mini-server. It's high quality finishand roomy interior defy you to pin it to a category. Dynatron A22 V-Shaped Skived Athlon64 Heatsink @ frostytech.com [Nov-03-05] (0 Comments) 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. Arctic-Cooling Silencer 64 Ultra TC heatsink @ pro-clockers.com [Nov-01-05] (0 Comments) Arctic cooling hit the cooling market hard with their Air SilencerVGA coolers. Providing the end user with a better cooling and quietersolution than the stock manufacturer OEM items. This in the end gave us moreoverclocking headroom. Now they are back with the same plan but for yourprocessor. An alternative to those ugly and sometimes loud stock pieces. TheSilencer 64 Ultra TC heatsink seems to be poised to do the same as the VGAcoolers. Cooler Master Ammo 533 @ insanetek.com [Nov-01-05] (0 Comments) In need of a good case for your next LAN party? Cooler Master's new Ammo 533 just might be your solution. The built-in handle makestransportation a breeze and the case design makes your system look beefier than it actually is. DFI NF4 Ultra Infinity @ insanetek.com [Oct-27-05] (0 Comments) We all know that DFI makes some killer AMD nF4 motherboards through their LANParty series. They're out again with a more budgetoriented nF4 motherboard that also excels in performance and overclocking. Aspire X-Plorer Case @ viperlair.com [Oct-26-05] (0 Comments) Aspire has delivered a very attractive design, on the outside. Once you open the case up, you run into some old fashioned design concepts with some not so thought out solutions and positioning of fans and air-ducts. Although in my situation I have a specific motherboard that causes a position issue, there should be a plan in place for that, as DFI is not exactly a small motherboard supplier in the enthusiast market space. Bigbruin.com :Ultra Products Fan Commander @ bigbruin.com [Oct-25-05] (0 Comments) Ultra Products has a new fan controller called the Fan Commander wh ich can control up to seven fans, and monitor three temperature probes. C ontrolling all your fans in one location will help you save time while also achieving the perfect balance between noise level and cooling performance . PC Perspective Hardware Leaderboard @ pcper.com [Oct-21-05] (0 Comments) After a longer than expected delaly, we finally have a new HardwareLeaderboard online for everyone to view. We have several notable changesand trends we are seeing, starting with the apparent staleness of AMD'sprocessor prices. Since our last update on August 31, none of the 4 AMDprocessors we used before had gone up or down in price on Newegg.com. Weare hearing news that AMD is planning a big price break soon, but there isno telling how much and which models will be affected. Altec Lansing inMotion7 Portable Audio System for Apple iPod @ bonafidereviews.com [Oct-21-05] (0 Comments) In January I reviewed the inMotion3 portable audio system. While I was impressed by the design and performance of the inMotion3 and by how well it accomplished what it was designed to do, I noted that “As long as volume is kept at a reasonable level, overall quality is superior to most two-piece computer speaker systems I have heard. However, if you really want sockin’ bass that blows your socks off, you probably want to look elsewhere.” Well, look no further – with the inMotion7, Altec Lansing has delivered the goods. Cooler Master Ammo 533 @ overclockersonline.com [Oct-17-05] (0 Comments) The Ammo 533 is definitely one of those cases that you would eitherbuy or turn away because of its looks. Ultimately, the Ammo 533 is a uniquecase and definitely a good LAN case. The screwless design, handle, meshedside panel and oversized buttons really set it apart from other cases on themarket today. Bytecc LANDISK NAS Hard Drive Enclosure @ atruereview.com [Oct-17-05] (0 Comments) One device that makes data even easier to share on a network is anexternal NAS hard drive. Just as a router allows you to share a singleInternet connection without the need for any particular computer to be on,a NAS (which stand for Network Attached Storage) hard drive allows you toshare a drive full of data without needing any particular computer to beon. As the availability and popularity of NAS drives continue to rise, NASenclosures are becoming more available as well. A NAS enclosure allows youto turn any hard drive, old or new, into an external NAS drive. One exampleis the LANDISK enclosure from Bytecc, which is the subject of this review. MGE Dragon @ overclockersonline.com [Oct-14-05] (0 Comments) If you want to hear a buzz when you walk into your next LAN party,then you will definitely want to walk in with the Dragon swinging from yourright hand. It's portable, it's cool looking, and it performs very well. Thefeatures speak for themselves and that list of features is a long one, youdefinitely won't be disappointed with the Dragon from MGE. Foxconn WinFast 6150K8MA-8EKRS Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Oct-14-05] (0 Comments) Foxconn is one of the first manufacturers to release an GeForce 6100-series motherboard, and the 6150K8MA-8EKRS specifically uses the best of class nVidia GeForce 6150 iteration and nVidia nForce 430 Southbridge.The Foxconn 6150K8MA-8EKRS mini-ATX motherboard which supports all Socket 939 AMD Athlon64 X2/FX processors on the market, as well as up to 4GB of PC3200 DDR RAM. In terms of goodies, the motherboard incorporates onboard analog video, a 7.1-channel Azalia audio codec, a single Gigabit LAN port and IEEE 1394a. New Layout and Features @ thetechlounge.com [Oct-11-05] (0 Comments) TheTechLounge is nearly three years old now, and it was time to make some changes. As you have no doubt noticed, the new site looksdrastically different. We decided to update our old logo and graphics, which were created by Brian and Kurtis, to something that wasmore professional and better portrayed the image we wanted for TheTechLounge. The new logo was created by professional graphicsdesigner, David Montooth. The new website design was a collaboration between Brian, Kurtis and designer, Naveed Lalani. ECS KN1-SLI Extreme Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Sep-30-05] (0 Comments) The ECS KN1-SLI Extreme looks like a pretty sweet motherboard for anyone on a budget who wants good performance, and the all important option of running dual PCI Express x16 SLI-compatible videocards. Based on the nVidia nForce4 SLI chipset, the ECS KN1-SLI Extreme supports all the current flavours of Socket 939 AMD Athlon64/FX/X2 processors. Its four DDR DIMM slots can be installed with as much as 4GB of PC3200 DDR memory in a dual channel configuration. Onboard data connections consist of IEEE 1394a Firewire which hums away at 800Mbps, a 7.1-channel audio codec, Gigabit and 10/100 NICs, and an additional Serial ATA II/RAID controller. The two PCI Express x16 slots support 8 lanes of PCI Express each when the user is running videocards in Scalable Link Interface (SLI) mode. How a CPU Works @ hardwaresecrets.com [Sep-27-05] (0 Comments) Learn how a CPU works in an easy to follow language, including topics such as clock, memory cache, CPU block diagram, an overall view on the basic CPU units, pipeline, superscalar architecture, out-of-order execution and speculative execution. Our AMD & Intel water cooler heatsink system install . @ a1-electronics.net [Sep-27-05] (0 Comments) As we have done such a great job and we are extremely pleased with the stunning cooling of our design using this Swiftech pump we are awarding this our Editors Top Choice for a water cooled heatsink system. For us it is a great balance between cost, size and cooling efficiency. Altec Lansing AHS602i Gaming Headset @ techgage.com [Sep-26-05] (0 Comments) If you are a gamer that uses a headset, you know that ithas to be highquality in order to be ahead of the game. You want to know whichdirection enemies are in, and you want it to sound like you are inthe game. We are taking a look at the Altec Lansing AHS602i gamersheadset, which includes many features that may appeal to the hardcoregamer. New content @ techneek.co.uk [Sep-25-05] (0 Comments) Toshiba have sent us their latest, and fastest DVD ±R/RW drive - the SD-R5472 6x burn speed dual layer drive. Supporting a whole range of DVD and CD types, it has the ability to store upto 8.5gb on a single disk, and it's very fast read and write speeds, at first glances this looks like the ultimate drive. But is it? We find out! New content @ techneek.co.uk [Sep-25-05] (0 Comments) Toshiba have sent us their latest, and fastest DVD ±R/RW drive - the SD-R5472 6x burn speed dual layer drive. Supporting a whole range of DVD and CD types, it has the ability to store upto 8.5gb on a single disk, and it's very fast read and write speeds, at first glances this looks like the ultimate drive. But is it? We find out! GIGABYTE GA-8I945P Pro Motherboard @ techniz.co.uk [Sep-22-05] (0 Comments) The GA-8I945P Pro was featuring the new Intel=AE 945P Express chipset wi thHyper-Threading Technology delivers significant performance gains withvariety of new generation architectures including the DDR2 main memory,PCI-Express interface, and Serial-ATA 2 interface for improving storageperformance. The motherboard itself has a lot of built in features such a sGigabit LAN, RAID, and 7.1 channel sound. Besides that, it comes with agood bundle of software. In terms of performance, this motherboard did agreat job as you can see on the performance benchmarking and testingsection. Anyway, the GA-8I945P Pro is a very good motherboard for theIntel LGA 775 platform in terms of the performance and overclocking :nForce4 410 and 430 with GeForce 6100 and 6150 Announcement @ hexus.net [Sep-20-05] (0 Comments) The TV encoder on the 6150 supports component, S-Video andcompostive out, as well as a TMDS for DVI support. DVI on themainboard backplane will be cool to see. Both chips are also able tobe passively cooled, bringing us on nicely to the announcement thatthese two parts and NVIDIA's first graphics products created on a90nm process. Manufactured by TSMC, the 90nm process allows NVIDIA toback the transistors needed for the 6100 and 6150 into a chip packagesmall enough and frugal enough to sit on the mainboard and bepassively cooled even at top clocks. :3-way i955x motherboard shootout @ hexus.net [Sep-16-05] (0 Comments) What makes a good i955X motherboard? From what we've seen inthis review, it's a combination adding a number of useful discretefeatures to boost a i955X-equipped motherboard to deluxe standard.All three motherboards here carry additional SATA support fromSilicon Image, FireWire800 connectivity, and in the case of the ABITAW8-MAX and Gigabyte Royal boards, dual PCIe Gigabit LAN ASICs fromBroadcom. Both also add in enthusiast-specific features, with ABITopting for heatpipe northbridge cooling and Gigabyte running with apotential 8-phase power supply. MSI P4N Diamond NF4-SLI Intel Edition Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Sep-15-05] (0 Comments) While the chipset was announced a months ago, nForce4-SLI Intel Edition motherboards are just now hitting the market. MSI Computers new P4N Diamond looks well... like a real gem of a motherboard! Obviously based on the nForce4 SLI Intel Edition chipset, the motherboard supports Socket 775 800/1066 MHz FSB Pentium 4/XE, Pentium D and Celeron D processors as well as a maximum of 4GB of DDR2-667 memory. The way nVIDIA implemented SLI on its NF4 SLI Intel Edition chipset is a bit different than with the AMD version. With the NF4 SLI Intel Edition the first physical PCI Express x16 slot gets lane 0 and all the even numbered lanes thereafter while the second physical PCI Express x16 slot gets all the odd numbered lanes. Epox 5NVA+ SLI NF4 Intel Edition Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Sep-15-05] (0 Comments) Motherboards like the Epox 5NVA+ SLI support Socket 775 Pentium 4/D/Extreme Edition as well as Celeron D processors. The four DIMM slots can accommodate up to 8GB of unbuffered non ECC DDR2 memory running at 400/533/667 MHz, while operating in dual channel mode with 1.8V. Epox also bundles a few on board goodies with the board such as Gigabit LAN, a 7.1 audio controller, IEEE 1394 and my personal favorite a Port 80 diagnostics card. If you need something the motherboard does not support, there are two free PCI Express x1 slots (three if you count the second PCI Express x16 slot when only running one videocard) and two open 32 bit PCI slots for legacy hardware. Of course, we must not overlook the two PCI Express x16 slots which will support SLI set-ups with the appropriate videocards either! Altec Lansing FX6021 Speakers @ thebestcasescenario.com [Sep-12-05] (0 Comments) All right its time to get down to the good stuff. For the record, these speakers not only look clean, they sound clean. Any set of speakers that turn me into a pimp ass DJ are freakin’ magical. And if you’re looking for features, without a doubt you found 'em. Not only do these speakers have great sound and looks, they also have a desktop control “pod” for power, adjusting master volume, bass, treble and also includes a 1/8th inch mini headphone jack. If that isn't enough to get you all hot and bothered, it also comes with a neat little wireless remote. Ok there you go I said it...wireless remote. No more romance interruptus, having to get up and go to the computer to manually adjust the volume. Now I can be Mr. Smooth and turn it up from across the room. How's that for p.i.m.p.? GN Netcom GN 6210 Bluetooth Headset @ xyzcomputing.com [Sep-08-05] (0 Comments) I am a big fan of the GN 6210's form factor; it is comfortable, and wor ks very well. The half moon design is quite comfortable; having the rubb er earbud placed within your ear makes calls seem much more audible at the same volume as other headsets without earbuds. The microphone works abs olutely fine in its sub-lobe location, rendering obsolete the need for an extended boom... Overall, the headset / base are very solid pieces o f equipment. While the overall price is higher than that of some other B luetooth headsets, the convenience of being able to pair to a landline mig ht definitely be worth the extra investment, especially for those who spen d most of the working day on the phone. Highly recommended for anyone lo oking to dabble in the world of wireless ear-based technology. Evercool HPC Ice Man @ insanetek.com [Sep-08-05] (0 Comments) There are so many companies releasing heatpipe tower CPU coolers that Evercool can't miss the bandwagon. The Ice Man performs welland comes with an adjustable fan for adjusting the best noise/performance ratio. Patriot Memory PDC1G5600ELK Memory @ pcstats.com [Sep-07-05] (0 Comments) Patriot's Extreme Performance PDC1G5600ELK dual channel DDR memory is some of the fastest on the market, and it most certainly caters towards enthusiast users. On its website, Patriot Memory takes the progressive step of stating that these PDC1G5600ELK modules are tuned to run on the DFI LANParty NF4 motherboard - essentially what we have here is DDR performance tuned for a specific AMD Athlon64 platform. There is a good reason for selecting the DFI LANParty NF4-series motherboards over all others, they are among the best overclocking motherboards in recent history. Samsung 915N @ overclockersonline.com [Sep-05-05] (0 Comments) After about eight weeks with this monitor, I'm happy to report thatit's excelled in everything I used it for. During this entire period, therewas not a single dead or stuck pixel to report. This has always been aconcern, but after testing three or four Samsung LCDs, all have beenflawless. The 915N is ideal for those who want to find a balance betweenperformance and price. SilverStone SG01 @ insanetek.com [Sep-05-05] (0 Comments) SFF systems are becoming increasingly popular for LAN gamers. SilverStone's SFF case solution may be quite pricey, but it isdefinitely worth the money. There is room for almost everything you can put in. 15 Great Mods from QuakeCON 2005 @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-23-05] (0 Comments) The annual LAN adventure known as QuakeCON swung into full gearagain from August 11th to 14th down in sweltering Dallas, Texas. Not only isQuakeCON known for its overall lack of estrogen, caffeine-fueled sleeplessnights, and world-wide game and product releases, but also its overabundanceof both beige oldies and well done case mods in a Bring-Your-Own-Computercrowd of nearly 3000. Each case mod built on any countless number of hoursspent slaving over a dremel and breathing in particles of aluminum and spraypaint deserves its own spotlight of artistic masterpiece. However, since itis nearly impossible to cover the ground of all 3000 PCs at QuakeCON insearch of every modded case, I have put together a presentation of only someof the best mods that could be found. I sat down with each of the buildersfor a brief interview in addition to photographing their cases and will nowpresent an in-depth look at 15 of the best case mods found throughout theBYOC at QuakeCON 2005. ABIT AN8-SLI nForce4-SLI Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Aug-18-05] (0 Comments) With no loyalties, we're free to openly jump between platforms and manufacturers, sometimes to the dismay of brand-fans, in search of faster speeds that bring better performance. Before the ABIT AN8-SLI was released, rumors flourished that it would challenge the DFI LANParty NF4 SLI-DR for top spot, so you can be sure that this review is going to be an exciting one as we try to settle that question. Call it an ABIT vs. DFI battle royal if you will. Based on the nVidia nForce4 SLI chipset, the ABIT AN8-SLI supports AMD Athlon64/FX/X2 processors and includes a Port 80 diagnostics card and of course the ABIT Q-OTES chipset cooling solution. Bigbruin.com :Sunbeamtech Acrylic Lite-Up Keyboard @ bigbruin.com [Aug-18-05] (0 Comments) The Sunbeamtech Acrylic Lite-Up Keyboard has the typical features of your everyday keyboard with a few notable differences... The blue backlighting is a very cool feature, but it doesn't help you read the keys much in the dark. It might be a great thing to show off at a LAN party, but if your looking for a visual aid when the lights go out, this may not be the keyboard for you. SAPPHIRE X800 GT Hybrid 256MB PCIe @ hexus.net [Aug-12-05] (0 Comments) ATI's X800 GT SKU offers, finally, real-world performancethat, on balance, overcomes NVIDIA's GeForce 6600 GT. Users lookingto upgrade to a =A3100-=A3110 PCI-Express GPU would do well to seriouslyconsider SAPPHIRE's X800 GT Hybrid 256MB card. AGP users will need towait, though, and the very nature of the how the X800 GT came intobeing indicates that it won't be around forever, so snap it up whileyou still can. Evercool H.D.D. Lander Cooler and Spider Filter Fan @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-12-05] (0 Comments) With the weather becoming more dry, and the heat radiating againstthe walls of your house, your computer begs you for more cooling! How manytimes have you been sitting next to your computer wondering how hot it was,then glance over at your temperature monitor and about scream? I know I havequite a few times! That's when you need to jump into the world of watercooling, or into the land of fans! Most people get into computers nowwanting to do a little water cooling setup, and overlook fans. Nothing likethe whine of an 80cfm 120mm fan in the middle of the night! Today we will bereviewing the Evercool Spider Filter Fan 80mm fan, and the Evercool H.D.D.Lander Cooler. Enjoy! Gigabyte GA-8I945P Pro Intel 945P Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Aug-11-05] (0 Comments) Gigabyte's GA-8I945P Pro pairs up the Intel 945P chipset with the Intel ICH7R Southbridge, and supports Intel's new Pentium D dual core processors as well as any other recent LGA775 Intel Pentium 4 processor or Celeron. Two PCI Express x1 slots and three conventional PCI slots take care of further peripheral expansion needs, and the GA-8I945P Pro can support up to six IDE and four SATA II devices. Onboard peripherals include a GIGARaid IDE/RAID controller, a BroadCom Gigabit LAN adaptor and 7.1 channel Intel High Definition Sound EverCool Lander HDD cooler & Spider Filter fan . @ a1-electronics.net [Aug-11-05] (0 Comments) Today we review two new computer products from EverCool to enhance you PC, Lander and Spider fan. Two handy computer accessories from EverCool all made to the usual high quality of EverCool. Gigabyte GA-8I955X Royal Intel 955X Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Aug-10-05] (0 Comments) The Gigabyte GA-8I955X Royal comes with the ICH7R Southbridge chipset, which replaces the ICH6 on all 955X and 945P boards. The Intel 955X Northbridge supports Intel Pentium Extreme Edition and Pentium D dual core processors as well as any other LGA775 Intel Pentium 4 or Celeron processor. Two PCI Express x1 slots and three conventional PCI slots take care of expansion needs and the GA-8I955X Royal can support up to six IDE and six SATA II devices. Onboard peripherals include a Silicon Image SATA/RAID controller, a GIGARaid IDE/RAID controller, A pair of BroadCom Gigabit LAN adaptors and 7.1 channel Intel 'High Definition' sound. JAHT 108Mbps Wireless Broadband Router @ techniz.co.uk [Aug-10-05] (0 Comments) JAHT has come out with a great wireless product again. We are reviewingtheir latest wireless broadband router which is the JAHT JWA-5108 (108MbpsWireless Broadband Router with 4 LAN Ports). Furthermore, the wirelessbroadband router has the web base setup management with embedded with avery good feature as you can refer it at the previous web configurationutility page. During the testing, the signal strength is still very strongat about 40 meters. The transfer rate is very fast comparing to the11Mbps, 22Mbps or even the 54Mbps wireless technology. Therefore, Super G+Wireless devices from JAHT will be the best choice if you plan to go forhigh speed wireless and it have all the devices and feature that you need.Highly Recommended! VIA C7-M Processor P @ pcstats.com [Aug-10-05] (0 Comments) VIA recently announced plans for another in the 'C' line of processors, this time dedicated to mobile use. The VIA C7-M is the mobile version of the C7 processor which was released in May of 2005. The VIA C7-M is slated to become available in November 2005 in speeds of 1.5GHz or 1.8GHz. During a recent briefing by the company, PCSTATS was shown the CPU in its A2 stepping. Possibly aiming to fill the market gap left by the apparent demise of Transmeta as a processor manufacturer, VIA has designed the C7-M with low power requirements and software security as the biggest areas of emphasis. The company is targeting the VIA C7-M at almost every segment of the laptop market, though it won't directly compete with the high-powered Intel Pentium M and AMD Turion processors in full-size laptops on the benchmark front at least, power efficiency is another story altogether. Logisys Double CCFL Fan Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-09-05] (0 Comments) Well My future's so bright I gotta wear shades... Ok, now I'mshowing my age here because not many of you got that I bet. Any who... Todayyou get blinded by the light; we have for your viewing pleasure the LogisysDouble CCFL Fan Kit. Logisys has become a fairly standard brand in thecomputer market and is known for quality products. I like lights, flash andwhatever makes my case stand out from the rest at a LAN. I was excited to begetting this item for review; will it live up to my hopes and aspirations?Read on and let's find out. Before I start let me throw in a thank you toLogisys for this fine piece of lighting. Koolance Exos 2 Water Cooling Kit @ gruntville.com [Aug-08-05] (0 Comments) The first thing to keep in mind is that Koolance didn't just send acooling kit and say =93have fun=94. Koolance teamed up with a local VAR and abusiness partner, Infortechnow, to build a killer rig that will really put theExos-2 through its paces better then anything we could have thrown at it. So thebox was HUGE, standing taller then my 3.5 yr old son and weighed twice as muchas he does. The only thing that made it easier to carry was that it didn'twiggle, kick, and scream as I brought it into the home office/computer lab likeDylan would. Epox EP-9NPA+ Ultra Socket 939 Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Aug-06-05] (0 Comments) The Epox EP-9NPA+ Ultra offers users a very flexible nForce 4/PCI Express platform, and has some useful integrated peripherals like a 8-channel audio, 10 USB2.0 ports, IEEE 1394a, and Gigabit LAN. It's not the most well equipped motherboard we've ever dealt with, but for mainstream users I think you could say it fills out all the necessary points well. Logitech MM22 Portable iPod Speakers @ bonafidereviews.com [Aug-05-05] (0 Comments) The unprecedented sales success of the Apple iPod portable music player has spawned a growing peripherals business to supply the owner base with a wide range of accessories. Among the most popular add-ons are compact portable speaker systems which allow the user to un-tether from his/her headphones and share their music with others. Altec-Lansing, in particular, has had great success with a variety of portable speaker systems, from the ground-breaking inMotion to the subsequent IM3 and IM4. Now Logitech has entered the fray with their mm22 Portable Speakers. Assembly '05 report @ metku.net [Aug-03-05] (0 Comments) Assembly '05 is one the of largest demo- and lan-parties in the world. Held now for the 14th time and gathering around 5000 visitors in four days from over 20 countries.Coders, graphics artists and other demo scene people competed in over 20 different categories with the prizes totaling over 70.000 USD. Every year there are thousands of gamers battling each others on the 3000 computer LAN and this year the national World Cyber Games (WCG) qualifications were held in this arena as well. Star Wars @ bit-tech.net [Aug-01-05] (0 Comments) Unfortunately, I had to tone down the detail a little when doing the engraving, since the design looked a little too 'busy'. However, with that done, the left side needed something more - another Star Wars logo did the trick. This made Yoda appear more clear and helped to get the right balance in the design. ATI Radeon X300 SE HyperMemory 128MiB @ hexus.net [Aug-01-05] (0 Comments) My evaluation of such low-end hardware using the latestgraphically challenging games might seem pointless at first glance.Look twice and you'll see that while both HyperMemory and TurboCacheboards were generally really unhappy with the latest games, analysisof UT2004 shows that in older games (and to some extent new ones atvery low resolution) they'll do fine. If your aim is to build areally cheap PCI Express-based gaming box for the kids, or to use acard as a stop-gap solution before you pick up something morepowerful, they do fine. Session Initiation Protocol Explained @ bonafidereviews.com [Jul-30-05] (0 Comments) Session Initiation Protocol or SIP refers specifically to a language that various computers can communicate to one another in so that they can complete voice calls. It has become vitally important in recent years as it plays a central role in VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol. VoIP Is the rapidly growing technology which has millions of Americans throwing out their local and long-distance telephone bills and replacing them with free calls made over the internet. New @ extensivemods.com [Jul-24-05] (0 Comments) The idea of a plain computer case has become a thing of the past. The avid gamers and modders are turning the bland beige and white cases into works of art. These works of art are becoming the showcase at many pc shows and LAN party's. With all of this happening it has prompted many companies that manufacture pc cases to start making what is called pre-mod cases. News from Mistix @ mistix.co.uk [Jul-20-05] (0 Comments) The Razer Diamondback is a stunning piece of apparel for your LAN kit, adding this sharp, precise and reliable mouse, will strive to cop up on extra skills and speedy reactions. The main question is, does the price match the quality of the product=3F Koolance Exos-2 Liquid Cooling System @ pcper.com [Jul-19-05] (0 Comments) The Exos-2 surpasses the original Exos in performance thanks to alarger radiator, greater airflow and increased coolant flow. The dual 120mmfans produce a wide range of capabilities, which allows the Exos-2 toprovide optimal cooling (with noticeable fan noise), or virtually silentoperation with the fans turned down low. The clear plastic reservoir, whichis mounted right up front for easy access, includes blue LED lighting thatis both functional and adds to the overall custom look of the system. Bigbruin.com :ThermalRock Eclipse Mid-Tower Case @ bigbruin.com [Jul-19-05] (0 Comments) The first thing you will notice when unpacking the Eclipse case is how light it is. Because the Eclipse comes with no power supply and is constructed of aluminum, it weighs in at only 13.5 pounds. Along with its compact size, this makes it a very good candidate for a LAN party rig. Samsung YH-820 @ overclockersonline.com [Jul-18-05] (0 Comments) I'm wondering what future steps Samsung will be taking to improve themselves in the market. While they are the king of LCD products, they still have a few things to work on for the portable audio devices. The whole 5GB storage option is great and pairing it with a color LCD display for pictures is a very nice touch. In the future, I'd like to see Samsung offer several other models with additional features. A FM Tuner and Text viewer that you can synchronize to download the latest news off the internet would be awesome. An integrated camera with 5GB storage space could also be planned. The number of potential options is limitless, and with time I hope to see more integrated in. Data Backup:Why You Need a Backup Plan in Place @ bonafidereviews.com [Jul-18-05] (0 Comments) Is a data backup solution part of your computer plans? Do you have a way to protect yourself if something goes wrong with your computer or data? Computers are a useful part of our lives but we don't always protect ourselves from their loss be it fire, theft or hardware failure. JAHT 54Mbps Wireless Broadband Router @ techniz.co.uk [Jul-16-05] (0 Comments) JAHT has come out with a great wireless product again. We are reviewingtheir latest wireless broadband router which is the JAHT WA-4054TX (54MbpsWireless Broadband Router with 4 LAN Ports). Furthermore, the wirelessbroadband router has the web base setup management with embedded with avery good feature as you can refer it at the previous web configurationutility page. During the testing, the signal strengh is still very strongat about 40 meters. The transfer rate is very fast comparing to the 11Mbpsor 22Mbps wireless technology. With the build in 4 LAN ports, you can evensupport more user in your network. Therefore, Super G Wireless devicesfrom JAHT will be the best choice if you plan to go for high speedwireless and it have all the devices and feature that you need. Thermaltake Big Typhoon @ viperlair.com [Jul-12-05] (0 Comments) It's been a long time since an air cooler has impressed us, and the Thermaltake Big Typhoon delivers in a big (no pun intended) way. We've seen massive coolers before, but in the past, not even the biggest coolers were able to power past the Koolance EXOS. While the EXOS still has the advantage at its highest speeds, the noise levels are much louder than the Big Typhoon which is near silent. GameConnect's of Juiced @ tcmagazine.info [Jul-12-05] (0 Comments) At first glance Juiced might seem a clone of Need for Speed Underground, and although it’s true that Juice Games was inspired by its success, the differences between the two are very obvious. Certain features are far better implemented and it shows that a lot of work was put into not making the same mistakes... ASUS Extreme Radeon X600 Pro @ 3dvelocity.com [Jul-12-05] (0 Comments) Here's where ATI's Radeon X600 series comes in; in particular this Asus Extreme AX600 pro. It's a card planted firmly in the mid-range section with lower speed than its bigger brothers and cheaper memory to lower the costs, but still has a PCI-Express connector. ASUS WL1167G USB2.0 WLAN Adapter @ 3dvelocity.com [Jul-11-05] (0 Comments) Imagine the sun burning in the sky, birds chirping, a soft breeze blowing. and you. you are stuck inside working behind the computer because it's not wirelessly connected to the internet.Not many would like that choice if left to us, certainly not me, but with the birth of wireless modems/routers and the adapters using them this problem could surely be solved. TUL AX480A-GF (RADEON XPRESS 200P) @ techniz.co.uk [Jul-01-05] (0 Comments) The PowerColor AX480A-GF motherboard was featuring the RADEON XPRESS 200P(RX480) Chipset that delivers significant performance gains with varietyof new generation architectures including dual-channel DDR, PCI-Expressinterface and Serial-ATA interface for improving storage performance. Themotherboard itself has a lot of built in features such as Gigabit LAN andRAID function. In terms of performance, this motherboard did a great jobas you can see on the performance benchmarking and testing section.However, PowerColor AX480A-GF motherboard is still a very good motherboardfor the AMD64 platform in terms of the performance and overclocking. TheMSRP of this motherboard is at around $110 USD which is very affordablefor a AMD64 motherboard. Bigbruin.com Article:Gaming Graphics Glossary @ bigbruin.com [Jun-29-05] (0 Comments) Graphics cards, like so many other tech components, seem to require their own language to describe the functions and features they provide. This Tech Tip will take a look at a handful of terms related to graphics cards, and some more specifically related to graphics cards as used for video games. GIGABYTE GA-K8N Pro-SLI Motherboard @ techniz.co.uk [Jun-29-05] (0 Comments) The GigaByte GA-K8N Pro-SLI motherboard was featuring the new NvidianForce 4 SLI chipset that enables the usage of dual PCI-Express VGA card.Beside that, it also delivers significant performance gains with varietyof new generation architectures including dual-channel DDR, PCI-Expressinterface and Serial-ATA II interface for improving storage performance.The motherboard itself has a lot of built in features such as Dual GigabitLAN, Dual Bios, RAID function, and 7.1 channel sound. Day 1 Pictures @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-25-05] (0 Comments) “Talk about a HUGE LAN Party! We are in Louisville, Kentucky forMillionMan LAN 4! There are around 1700 people here, and some nicelooking cases. Some well known modders are here including Mashie,Gruntman, and Sky. Take a look at the pictures for all the crazycases, gaming and more! NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX @ hexus.net [Jun-22-05] (0 Comments) All-in, a solid improvement to an excellent architecture. NVIDIA balance ALU increases with ROP considerations to create a formidable pixel pusher that currently has no equal. 7800 GTX boards can be bought from today for a UK retail price of =A3369. That's only some =A370 more than a 6800 Ultra (15%), for a rough 40% increase in performance, should your wallet be up to the task. NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX @ pcper.com [Jun-22-05] (0 Comments) The NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX card takes the title of being thefastest GPU on the planet, there is little doubt of that. The performanceof the new G70 core is impressive in all aspects and the new transparencyantialiasing is a welcome addition to NVIDIA suite of image qualityenhancements. With HDR improvements as well, the 7800 GTX is going to be agood GPU selection for some time to come. ZALMAN VF700-Cu VGA Cooler @ techniz.co.uk [Jun-21-05] (0 Comments) The ZALMAN VF700-Cu is a very good VGA cooler in terms of the performanceand the stylish look. The VF700-Cu VGA Cooler performs very well duringour testing. Moreover, it is made of fully copper which is a very goodmaterial for cooling. The design of this VGA Cooler is very stylish andnice, and the cooling fan use for it is a large, powerful and a silentfan. But, there is some downside of the VF700-Cu VGA Cooler which is itwill takes up to two PCI slot spaces after installing it. Anyway, theVF700-Cu VGA Cooler is a very good VGA cooler to buy if you plan to changesince it does support universal VGA cards even you upgrade your VGA cardsin the future. PowerColor AX480A-GF (RADEON XPRESS 200P) @ techniz.co.uk [Jun-20-05] (0 Comments) The PowerColor AX480A-GF motherboard was featuring the RADEON XPRESS 200P(RX480) Chipset that delivers significant performance gains with varietyof new generation architectures including dual-channel DDR, PCI-Expressinterface and Serial-ATA interface for improving storage performance. Themotherboard itself has a lot of built in features such as Gigabit LAN andRAID function. In terms of performance, this motherboard did a great jobas you can see on the performance benchmarking and testing section.However, PowerColor AX480A-GF motherboard is still a very good motherboardfor the AMD64 platform in terms of the performance and overclocking. TheMSRP of this motherboard is at around $110 USD which is very affordablefor a AMD64 motherboard. MCT Cooling Solution @ overclockersonline.com [Jun-14-05] (0 Comments) MCT has a very distinct aroma, almost identical to that of antifreeze coolant used in cars. Not only do they have similar smells but they also resemble each other very closely as far as looks; that very distinct green color. Das Keyboard @ xyzcomputing.com [Jun-13-05] (0 Comments) The first thing anyone will notice about this keyboard is the fact that it lacks any sort of printed characters on the keys=2E The designer of this product wanted to make a keyboard exclusively for computer elites=2E These people ostensibly have the standard 104-key layout memorized to the point that character inscriptions are only holding them back=2E The included flyer points out that if there are no keys to look at when you are typing you will look down less and soon be able to type more rapidly=2E In addition to faster typing, having a blank keyboard on your desk should definitely garner you some well-earned respect=2E OK800 5.1 Headphones @ moditory.com [Jun-10-05] (0 Comments) USB 5.1 Headphones are extremely popular items now. Theironboard soundcards allow you to take surround sound anywhere, with yourlaptop or to a LAN with your desktop. You can even hook them up to yourMP3 player or whatever other portable device you're carrying along thathas a headphone jack. They've also got boom mics on them for yourtrash-talking rounds of Counter-Strike:Source and UT2K4. OKGear hasreleased the OK800 set of 5.1 Channel Surround Sound USB Headphones. Ourreigning champ, the LTB USB Pro 5.1 Headset, had nearly everything youcould ask for; but they did have room for improvement. Lets see how theOK800 set tackles the 5.1 USB scene. ASUS WL1167G USB2.0 WLAN Adapter @ 3dvelocity.com [Jun-10-05] (0 Comments) Because it is a USB adapter it can be connected to a laptop or desktop computer or even a server, should one wish to do so.In theory this device should allow you to connect to the internet while you are enjoying the nice weather outside. Let's get that theory into practice. WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN ONTARIO @ Environment Canada [Jun-09-05] (0 Comments) ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 12:17 PM EDT THURSDAY 9 JUNE 2005. WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN ONTARIO... TORNADO WATCH FOR: =NEW= TIMMINS - COCHRANE =NEW= GREATER SUDBURY AND VICINITY =NEW= CHAPLEAU - GOGAMA =NEW= KIRKLAND LAKE - NEW LISKEARD - TEMAGAMI =NEW= ELLIOT LAKE - RANGER LAKE =NEW= NORTH BAY - WEST NIPISSING. THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS. THIS IS AN ALERT TO THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES..TAKE IMMEDIATE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. ==DISCUSSION== A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP EASTWARD ACROSS NORTHEASTERN ONTARIO THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEGUN TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND ARE EXPECTED TO BE ORGANIZED AND LONG LIVED. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS AS WELL AS THE CHANCE OF A TORNADO. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST PUBLIC FORECASTS FOR FURTHER DETAILS. Various News Items [Jun-08-05] (0 Comments) Logitech V200 Cordless Notebook Mouse Review @ CoolTechZone DDR2 Industry Slow in 2005 @ CoolTechZone Gigabyte G-Power Pro @ InsaneTek Sony PlayStation Portable @ t-break Various News Items [Jun-08-05] (0 Comments) Qpad Gamer Lowsense Mouse Pad @ TechTastic.ca Mushkin Redline XP4000 DDR ram review @ XtremeResources Digital Photography 101: RAW Files vs JPG Files @ The Tech Zone Logitech Formula GP Racing Wheel for the PC @ futurelooks.com Possible Doom for Mac OS X on x86 @ CoolTechZone Find The Best Case Mods Online and Save Money @ bonafidereviews.com [Jun-07-05] (0 Comments) Are you captivated by the stunning Case Mods you've seen online but shell shocked at some of the prices.What is a case mod, some of you may ask? Have you every wanted to spice up that boring bland box you call your computer? Well you can and there are lots of people online with fantastic clever ideas on themes, gee whiz lights, sounds, and much much more. Here is a list of top places where you can get information, buy stuff, and chat with others about your ideas. Kool Solutions Chill Vent Memory Cooling @ xyzcomputing.com [Jun-03-05] (0 Comments) If you want to save money you can buy value memory which usually does not come with heatspreaders but they are generally not needed as you would not buy value memory if you are planning on overclocking=2E The other option is to buy a higher end memory which is capable of running at higher voltages and of sustained overclocking=2E Kool Solutions has started to offer their Chill Vent Memory Cooling Fan (CVMF) in order to cope with heating memory conditions=2E They may seem unnecessary at first but with new motherboard capable of a VDIMM of 3=2E5V and systems heating up like never before conventional, passive memory cooling is not always doing the job=2E Various News Items [Jun-01-05] (0 Comments) Arisetek home theatre PC case @ bit-tech.net The Tech Zone takes a look at Shuttles Computex 2005 line up @ thetechzone.com Samsung SyncMaster 710N LCD TFT Monitor Review @ Tweaknews.net Abit & Shuttle Computex Coverage @ t-break Ultra & 3dGameMan Ultra X-Connect 500W Power Supply Giveaway 3dgameman.com Gigabyte i-RAM scores @ t-break The Technology Behind Dual Core CPUs @ pcstats.com Various News Items [May-27-05] (0 Comments) InsaneTek's Ultimate Gaming Rig @ InsaneTek E3 2005 - Nintendo Revolution & Gameboy Micro @ The Tech Zone Intel Pentium 4 670 and Pentium D 820 @ hexus.net PowerColor Bravo X700 @ overclockersonline.com Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Dual Core Review @ pcper.com Various News Items [May-27-05] (0 Comments) Aspire X-QPack reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com SeaSonic S12 500W Power Supply @ techniz.co.uk News from Xbox-360-Source! @ xbox-360-source.com High Quality E3 2005 Booth Babe Pics @ pimprig.com Samsung SyncMaster 930MP Multifunctional 19" LCD Monitor @ bonafidereviews.com IWILL H8502 8-Way AMD Opteron motherboard dual-core ready! @ amdboard.com [May-26-05] (0 Comments) Ahead of Computex 2005 in Taipei, AMDboard.com has another scoop regarding the latest 8-way AMD Opteron motherboard from IWILL. Dual-core ready, the IWILL H8502 is powered by the powerful NVIDIA NFORCE PRO 2200 & 2050 that can provide up to 40 lanes PCI-Express bandwidth. The IWILL H8502 8-way AMD Opteron server architecture also uses a special HTX technology to connect the I/O controller to the system controller and can accommodate up to 128GB of memory. All this allows an unprecedented level of performance required for complex, highly technical computing and high performance parallel applications as proven by Linpack benchmark raised 80% from 4-way to 8-way system! Various News Items [May-26-05] (0 Comments) The Future of Linux on Laptops @ CoolTechZone Find Hidden iPod Files @ eCoustics Thermaltake Silent 939 K8 air cooler heatsink review @ a1-electronics.net/ Intel's Pentium D 820 and Pentium 4 670 processors @ techreport.com Gameconnect's Stronghold 2 vs Empire Earth II head-to-head @ tcmagazine.info Various News Items [May-26-05] (0 Comments) SilverStone LC13 HTPC Case Video Review #569 @ 3dgameman.com Sapphire Tech Toxic X700 Pro PCIe Video Card @ pimprig.com Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks Deluxe Webcam Review @ futurelooks.com E3 2005 - Sony Playstation 3 @ The Tech Zone Logitech Cordless Desktop LX500 and LX700 Showdown @ CoolTechZone Various News Items [May-25-05] (0 Comments) First Look: Rio Forge Sport MP3 Player @ CoolTechZone Hitachi Global Storage Technologies' Deskstar T7K250 hard drive @ techreport.com Targus Liz Tote Deluxe Laptop Bag for the Modern Women @ futurelooks.com ThinkComputers and Atrix Contest @ ThinkComputers.org E3 2005 - The Xbox 360 @ The Tech Zone AMD Athlon processors guide review @ a1-electronics.net Various News Items [May-24-05] (0 Comments) Samsung SyncMaster 243T review @ pyroport.com AGEIA PhysX processor Preview @ pcper.com Intel ICC Report - May 2005 @ ASE Labs Samsung SF-565P Multi-Function Fax/Laser Printer @ pcstats.com TechConnect's Photoshop CS2 New Features In-Depth Look @ tcmagazine.info Various News Items [May-24-05] (0 Comments) The Paranoia of Digital Rights Management @ CoolTechZone DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Review @ cluboc.net Atrix G8023C Case @ ThinkComputers.org Samsung YP-T7Z 1.0 Gigabyte Multi-function MP3 Digital Audio Player Review @ futurelooks.com X-Micro 11g Turbo Mode 108Mbps Broadband Router and PCI Card @ XtremeComputing Crucial Radeon X850 XT 256MB PCI-E review @ xtremeresources.com [May-21-05] (0 Comments) 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. Various News Items [May-19-05] (0 Comments) Servers made simple for business owners and managers @ Short-Media.com MSI Megabook S250 @ hexus.net Memory Cards Tutorial @ hardwaresecrets.com Gigabyte 8N-SLI Motherboard @ t-break Details of ATI's Xbox 360 GPU unveiled @ techreport.com Various News Items [May-19-05] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing GT5051 Surround Sound Speakes Review @ CoolTechZone E3 Booth Babe Gallery! @ futurelooks.com Titan Bianca water heatsink cooler system review. @ a1-electronics.net Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 6 (Rev.2) review @ XtremeResources Thermalright XP-90C Review @ nVnews Various News Items [May-19-05] (0 Comments) Controlling peer-to-peer applications with Cisco routers @ networkstoday.com Microsoft Optical Desktop Elite for Bluetooth Review @ futurelooks.com 2005 E3 Booth Babe - Day 1 @ The Tech Zone COMPUCASE 6C29 BUF Case @ 3dvelocity.com BFR Review: Samsung CLP-510N Color Laser Printer @ bonafidereviews.com Various News Items [May-18-05] (0 Comments) Sunbeamtech Transformer Case Review @ CoolTechZone Sapphire X800 XL Ultimate Review @ thetechzone.com Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80 Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Catalyst 5.5 comparison @ origo3D.com Danger Den Chrome Version MAZE4 GPU Water Block @ techniz.co.uk Various News Items [May-18-05] (0 Comments) COLORS-it 8008-B3 Case + Remote @ 3dvelocity.com Bigbruin.com Article: Digital Camera Basics... Some Vocabulary @ bigbruin.com The Decline of Ugly Cases @ CoolTechZone Philips Rush SA238/17 128MB Portable MP3 Player Review @ futurelooks.com Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction Game Review @ NewsTechInfo.com Various News Items [May-17-05] (0 Comments) Cool gadget. Ten bucks. @ dansdata.com PimpRig Review // Kanguru 256MB Biometric USB Flash Drive @ pimprig.com Prometeia Mach II GT Phase Change Cooler Review @ pcstats.com Mutant Mods Meteor Light @ ThinkComputers.org Intel Dual Core Technology @ hardwaresecrets.com Various News Items [May-17-05] (0 Comments) Bigbruin.com Review: Gigabyte G-Power Cooler Pro @ bigbruin.com Free Lunch is Served! @ futurelooks.com SWISSMEMORY TM USB Victorinox 1 GB @ xtremecomputing.co.uk Thermaltake PurePower 460w PSU review @ a1-electronics.net AMD Athlon64 X2 4800+ @ t-break Various News Items [May-17-05] (0 Comments) Is AMD the Next Intel? @ CoolTechZone NorthQ 3801 Heatpipe GFX2 VGA Heatsink @ origo3D.com A Guide To Audio Cables - Do They Sound Different? @ The Tech Zone Thermaltake Soprano Case Review @ CoolTechZone [ocnz-news] MSI NX6600-VTD128 Diamond 6600 vs MSI NX6600GT-VTD128 6600 GT @ overclockers.co.nz Various News Items [May-17-05] (0 Comments) FSP GreenPower Power Supply Unit @ techniz.co.uk AMD's Athlon 64 3800+ "Venice" processor reviewed @ TR Nzxt Nemesis elite @ Rbmods Matrix Orbital MX6 Series PLED USB Display @ 3dvelocity.com Review: Seagate Cheetah 15K ST3146854LC 146G SCSI Drive @Tech-Mods.net SLI Motherboard group test at bit-tech.net @ Bit Tech [May-16-05] (0 Comments) The DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR faired much better than the A8N-SLI... We were able to complete our full benchmark suite with the CPU front side bus at a rather hard-to-believe 400MHz HTT... We'd go so far as to say that at the moment, there is no better enthusiast motherboard on the market. Various News Items [May-16-05] (0 Comments) Geeks.com Feature Geekcessory Kit @ ThinkComputers.org Digital Photo 101 - The Digital Darkroom @ The Tech Zone News: FlashPEZ mod @ MetkuMods Review: LiteOn LVW 5045 @ Tech-Mods.net Various News Items [May-16-05] (0 Comments) "You Don't Have To Be Rich To Be A PC Gamer " @ XYZ Computing Bigbruin.com Review: Transcend JetFlash 110 512MB USB Flash Drive @ bigbruin.com [News] Logitech Z-5500 THX Certified speaker review @ XtremeResources Thermalright XP-90c Heatsink Review @ pcper.com News Flash - Cool by Corsair 120MM Advanced PC CPU Liquid Cooling System Review @ futurelooks.com Various News Items [May-15-05] (0 Comments) Mutant Mods UV EL IDE Cable @ ThinkComputers.org Logitech MediaPlay Cordless Mouse Review @ XYZ Computing World Premiere! ACER FERRARI 4000 AMD Turion 64 Notebook @ amdboard.com Nextherm ICS 8200 Intelligent MIDI Tower @ A True Review A.C.Ryan Xneon Lighted SATA cables @ techniz.co.uk Various News Items [May-14-05] (0 Comments) "Company Takes Stand Against Booth Babes" @ XYZ Computing Thermalright XP-90C and LGA775 RM reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com Pair of Logisys Computer Reviews + GIVEAWAY @ ap0calypse.com "ESPN Releases Ultimate Baseball Online Beta" @ XYZ Computing Aspire X-QPACK Aluminum MicroATX Chassis @ pimprig.com Various News Items [May-14-05] (0 Comments) Linux vs. Windows Web Hosting @ The Tech Zone Bigbruin.com Review: eDimensional AudioFX Force Feedback Gaming Headset @ bigbruin.com Windows XP Professional x64 Edition @ cdrinfo.com X-Box 360 specs @ HEXUS Vantec All in 1 USB Card Reader @ techniz.co.uk An XCP and an LCD @ tbreak.com [May-12-05] (0 Comments) Sometimes, you have to take matter in your own hands. Although Shuttle is releasing a Media Center Version of its XPC, we had other plans on the implementation. In our opinion, the white chassis on Shuttle’s SB86i is the best looking one by Shuttle and using that particular model with an LCD display instead of a VFD would make a better MCE XPC. Various News Items [May-12-05] (0 Comments) Beginner's Guide to Web Site Hosting @ The Tech Zone Bluetake BT400 G5 Headset Review @ CoolTechZone EverGlide Ricochet Pro surface mouse mat review @ a1-electronics.net TechSpot's Low-end PC Buying Guide @ techspot.com MediaBank HS-Ri (Hot Swap Raid Internal) @ techniz.co.uk Various News Items [May-12-05] (0 Comments) DynaPower Blackwidow @ overclockersonline.com Playing Post Office @ futurelooks.com Arctic Cooling Silencer 64 Ultra @ ThinkComputers.org DiGix Portable DVD Player Giveaway @ XYZ Computing Gigabyte's GV-RX80L256V graphics card @ techreport.com Various News Items [May-11-05] (0 Comments) Gigabyte GeForce 6600 Video Card Review at Short-Media.com How to Really Delete your Files @ hardwaresecrets.com Gigabyte Radeon X600 XT Video Card Review @ XYZ Computing Various News Items [May-11-05] (0 Comments) MGE Viper ATX Gaming PC Case Review @ futurelooks.com PCI Express comes to Opteron @ techreport.com First Look: SoniqCast Aireo MP3 Player @ CoolTechZone OvisLink Wired SIP IP Phone @ techniz.co.uk The Competitive Incompetence Conspiracy @ CoolTechZone Various News Items [May-11-05] (0 Comments) Upgrading A Motherboard Without Reinstalling @ pcstats.com Protecting Your Computer Against Invasions @ hardwaresecrets.com SunBeamTech Light Bus @ TechTastic.ca Brothers in Arms: Road to Kill 30 Game Review @ NewsTechInfo.com How To Get Great Portraits From Your Digital Camera @ The Tech Zone Various News Items [May-11-05] (0 Comments) Abit Fatal1ty AN8 @ t-break Asus P5ND2-SLI nForce4 Intel Edition Review @ pcper.com Take a walk down Internet memory lane... @ pimprig.com Samsung Yepp YP-MT6Z 1GB MP3 Player Review @ pcstats.com Hiper Type R "Blue Label" Modular 580W PSU @ pimprig.com Linksys Phone Adapter PAP2 Review @ thetechzone.com [May-10-05] (0 Comments) The New Linksys Phone Adapter, combined with a subscription to a specific VoIP service plan, turns your existing Internet connection into a high-quality phone line for placing and receiving phone calls. The phone adapter comes equipped with two standard phone ports (RJ-11) and one Ethernet port (RJ-45). Users connect their existing cordless or stationary phones or a fax machine to the phone adapter; connect the phone adapter to a router or gateway via the Ethernet port. Each phone jack operates independently, with separate phone service and phone numbers. It's just like having two phone lines. Intel find their founder's words of wisdom @ hexus.net [May-10-05] (0 Comments) Take a glance back up the page and you’ll see that Gordon Moore first made his prediction in 1965. He did this in a magazine called ‘Electronics’, a notable publication of it’s time. Now, considering that this will be the fortieth anniversary of Moore’s famous law, the bods at Intel thought it’d be rather nice to get their hands on an original copy of said magazine. All well and good, but where, exactly, do you start looking for a 40 year old magazine that had a limited following all those years ago and is unlikely to have survived the ravages of time? Various News Items [May-10-05] (0 Comments) Mutant Mods Skull Thumbscrews @ ThinkComputers.org Spire KestrelKing VI CPU Cooler Review @XYZ Computing Further Details Revealed about ATI's Multi-VPU Technology @ CoolTechZone The Spy Kids Collection PC Game Review @ futurelooks.com Logisys Pyramid Smart Fan Controller Review @ XYZ Computing Various News Items [May-10-05] (0 Comments) AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800 @ hexus.net Dual Core AMD Processors @ hardwaresecrets.com Linux Part 3: Installing New Software @ pcstats.com Logisys Alien 2.1 PC Speakers @ pimprig.com Forceware driver roundup update @ origo3D.com Various News Items [May-09-05] (0 Comments) BFR Review: HIS X850XT IceQ II Turbo VIVO 256MB AGP @ bonafidereviews.com News Flash - Samsung CLP-510 Color Laser Jet Printer Review @ futurelooks.com Overclocking Goes Mainstream @ CoolTechZone How To Start Developing Your Own Software @ thetechzone.com Bigbruin.com Article: The Basics of Computer Mice Various News Items [May-09-05] (0 Comments) Inno3D GeForce 6200A Review @ nV News Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 Serial ATA II @ cluboc.net Intel's Recent Chipsets Show Poor Sales @ CoolTechZone NVIDIA to Support Large Flat Panel Displays in Next Gen. GPUs @ CoolTechZone News: AMD's Athlon 64 X2 processors reviewed @TR Asus K8N4-E Deluxe Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com [May-07-05] (0 Comments) "Today, PCStats will be looking at the new Asus K8N4-E Deluxe motherboard. It's so new that it's not even up on Asus's North American website. Based around the nForce4 chipset, this motherboard supports Socket 754 AMD Athlon64 or Sempron processors. It's memory slots will accommodate up to 3GB of single channel DDR memory. Graphics come courtesy of a standard PCI Express x16 slot, which is the key selling point as far as we're concerned. Onboard goodies consist of an extra Serial ATA/RAID controller, a 7.1-channel audio codec, IEEE 1394a Firewire and Gigabit LAN." Various News Items [May-06-05] (0 Comments) Socket 478 Cooling Head-To-Head @ 3dvelocity.com Beginners Guides: Understanding and Tweaking Windows XP Services Cold Fear Game Review @ NewsTechInfo.com ATI R520 to Hit Retail Shelves in Q3, 2005 @ CoolTechZone Details Of ATi's Multi Video Processing Unit @ hexus.net Various News Items [May-05-05] (0 Comments) LapWorks Laptop Legs Review @ The Tech Zone News: Pentium Extreme Edition 840 processor reviewed @ TR Gigabyte 8I955X Royal Motherboard @ t-break TechConnect's VoIP Editorial @ tcmagazine.info Various News Items [May-05-05] (0 Comments) ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Platform @ hardwaresecrets.com Ninja Budget Case @ A True Review Ulti-mat Mousepad Review @ XYZ Computing News Flash - Colorvision Spyder2PROT Studio Monitor Calibrat ion Solution Review @ futurelooks.com The Dual-Core War: Is Intel in Trouble? @ CoolTechZone Various News Items [May-05-05] (0 Comments) Letters 145 @ dansdata.com Thermaltake TWV 500W PurePower Modular PSU @ techniz.co.uk The Coolest Case on Earth! @ amdboard.com MSI NX6600GT-VTD128SP Videocard Review @ pcstats.com Everything You Need to Know About DDR Dual Channel @ hardwaresecrets.com Various News Items [May-04-05] (0 Comments) Vantec NexStar 3 Drive Enclosure @ ThinkComputers.org ATI X800 XL 512 MB GPU Preview @ pcper.com ATI's Radeon X800 XL 512MB graphics card @ techreport.com XGI Volari V3XT @ bit-tech.net World Cyber Games Case Modding Competition: new feature @ bit-tech.net The introduction of 512MiB consumer graphics hardware @ hexus.net Aspire X-QPACK Aluminum Mini Case w/ 3 Windows Video Review #563 @ 3dgameman.com Various News Items [May-04-05] (0 Comments) PimpRig Review // Titan Vanessa L-Type CPU Cooler @ pimprig.com News: Water Cooling with PolarFLO @ nV News NVIDIA, ATI to Launch Next Generation GPUs at Computex @ CoolTechZone DDR2 as Low as Cas. 2.5 @ CoolTechZone Ultra Products 1024MB PC3200 XL Dual Channel DDR Various News Items [May-04-05] (0 Comments) TechConnect's review of Trust's BT210 Bluetooth Headset @ tcmagazine.info nVidia Chips Comparison Table @ hardwaresecrets.com Alphacool NexXxos NVXP 6800 GT/Ultra watercooler @ origo3D Vantec Stealth 520W Power Supply Review @ pcstats.com Antec TX1088 AMG @ overclockersonline.com Various News Items [May-03-05] (0 Comments) Outfitting Your Pad Online @ futurelooks.com Samsung YP-T7 Z Digital Audio Player Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Thermaltake Sonic Tower air cooler heatsink review. @ a1-electronics.net ATop Gladiator Gaming Case @ ThinkComputers.org ATI x800XL-512MB @ t-break Various News Items [May-03-05] (0 Comments) pire Verticool SPA49B0 Socket A Heatsink Review @ frostytech.com ZeroSpyware 2005 Anti-spyware Program @ A True Review GeIL Ultra-X PC3200 Winbond BH5 1GB Dual Channel Kit @ InsaneTek Altec Lansing inMotion iM4 Portable Audio System Review @ CoolTechZone Getting The Most Out Of Your Digital Camera Tripod @ The Tech Zone Various News Items [May-02-05] (0 Comments) How To Backup Your Hard Drive @ The Tech Zone Full Firefox Tweak Guide @ TweakGuides.com TechConnect's review of the Palladio USB Bluetooth Adapter @ tcmagazine.info News: Xbox Modchip SmartXX V2 & XboxMediaCenter reviewed @ MetkuMods ASUS P5WD2 (955X) Motherboard @ t-break Various News Items [May-02-05] (0 Comments) JAHT 108Mbps Wireless Devices @ techniz.co.uk "Case Buyer's Guide: Cases Over $100" @ XYZ Computing Connect3d X700 Pro PCI-E video card @ Rbmods Bigbruin.com Article: Password Security and Safety @ bigbruin.com Tune Belt iPod Open View Armband Carrier Review @ futurelooks.com DFI LanParty UT nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 Motherboard @ pimprig.com [Apr-30-05] (0 Comments) Here are a couple of features that are targeted directly towards folks like us. If you are like me, my main rig is rarely completely put together and often runs on my Senfu bench outside the case. DFI included a power and reset switch directly on the board so tweakers don't have to use their modded adapters to power up or reset the board. Various News Items [Apr-29-05] (0 Comments) Choosing a Personal Digital Assistant @ bigbruin.com Microsoft WinHEC 2005 @ techreport.com How To Work With Your Digital Camera's Histogram @ The Tech Zone Compex iWavePort 802.11g Wireless LAN Card (WL54G) Review @ futurelooks.com OCZ Gold PC3200 1GB Dual Channel Kit @ InsaneTek Various News Items [Apr-29-05] (0 Comments) Digital TV Standards @ hardwaresecrets.com PNY GeForce FX 5200 Verto Giveaway @ ThinkComputers.org Chaintech Zenith VNF4 Ultra Review @ pcstats.com Bitrate Sf403ex mp3 player @ Rbmods 64-bit Xeon MP and Intel E8500 Chipset @ hardwaresecrets.com Various News Items [Apr-28-05] (0 Comments) Cheap 1U servers: Found! @ dansdata.com DVI Connection @ hardwaresecrets.com Antec Phantom 350 Watt Silent Fanless Power Supply Video Review @ 3dgameman.com aidmax Virgo 811W Case @ A True Review Alphacool Xtreme Pro Set 240 12 Volt Kit Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Various News Items [Apr-27-05] (0 Comments) How to Set Up a Home Windows Server Guide Part 2 @ AuphanOnline.com Bigbruin.com Review: Rexus SPX500 500W ATX PSU @ bigbruin.com News- Antec TruePower 2.0 480 Wat Blue @ overclockersonline.com ATop Xplode Gaming Case @ ThinkComputers HIS X850XT IceQ II Turbo @ Viperlair Various News Items [Apr-27-05] (0 Comments) Give-Away: 128MB XGI Volari V3XT Prize Pack @ bigbruin.com Raidmax Samurai XE 901 Gaming Case @ InsaneTek The Great Indoors: Building a Home Gym @ futurelooks.com Thermaltake Big Typhoon air cooler heatsink review @ a1-electronics.net Satellite Radio: The Waves Of The Future? @ The Tech Zone Various News Items [Apr-25-05] (0 Comments) Dahlquist QX8a Tower Speaker Review @ futurelooks.com AMD to Adopt DDR500 Officially @ CoolTechZone Sunbeam 20 in 1 Superior Panel @ ThinkComputers XFX 6600 GT overclocking @ origo3D.com AMD Athlon 64 x2 & Operton dual-core processors review @ a1-electronics.net Various News Items [Apr-25-05] (0 Comments) Raidmax KY-550ATX PSU @ A True Review The Best Case Scenario Test Rig Completed @ thebestcasescenario.com Arctic Silver ArctiClean Review @ ocmodshop.com 2nd Generation 6GB iPod Mini Review @ The Tech Zone GIGABYTE GA-K8N Ultra-9 Motherboard @ techniz.co.uk Various News Items [Apr-25-05] (0 Comments) Four new Supermicro dual-core opteron motherboards @ amdboard.com Wintec AMP-X PC2-5400 1GB DC Kit @ InsaneTek 3RSystem R700 BadGuy ATX Case Review @ OCTools.com Thermaltake Kandalf VA9000SWA Silver Aluminum Computer Case Review @ Tweaknews.net Swiftech H20-120 Revision 3a Water Cooling Kit @ cluboc.net Various News Items [Apr-22-05] (0 Comments) o More Paper Launches from ATI and NVIDIA @ CoolTechZone Showering With Friends @ futurelooks.com Wireless Networking Troubleshooting Guide @ The Tech Zone LightScribe Drives Comparison @ cdrinfo.com MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E @ Viperlair Various News Items [Apr-20-05] (0 Comments) Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC4000 1GB DC Kit @ InsaneTek Combat Task Force 121 for the Xbox Review @ futurelooks.com Samsung HD 850 DVD Player @ TechTastic.ca The Uncertain State of DDR @ CoolTechZone Can Linux be Marketed Successfully? @ CoolTechZone COOLMAX Fanless PSU and 140mm PSU Review @ Extension Tech [Apr-19-05] (0 Comments) Part of noise issues with your PC can come from the PSU. Simply, because the PSU exhaust fan is usually located in the back of the PSU, and is closer to exterior of the case, hence, you would hear it. Yes, you can kind of hide a high dB HSF fan in a closed case, but I know as I mature in my PC experience, Im tired of having a PC that sounds like an airplane taking off. So this leads to the review of a fanless, and a 140mm fan PSU review. Yes, that 140mm number was correct. Take a look and see if any of the units are up your alley... New Review at the Moditory: Altec Lansing GT-5051 5.1 Speakers @ Modders Forum [Apr-19-05] (0 Comments) $150 for a set of 5.1 Surround Sound speakers from Altec Lansing. In the box you've got a total of 4 speakers. Center, 2 satellites, and a subwoofer. Intrigued? Yes, they're 5.1 Surround Sound. They use Altec Lansing's new Side-Firing Dipole Technology; less wires is always a good thing, but does the quality of sound/effect suffer? Various News Items [Apr-19-05] (0 Comments) News Flash - Breakup Hell: Get Over it Online EverCool PT03-9232CP air cooler heatsink review "Ctrl-H, the New Medicine Cabinet" at XYZ Computing Soltek EQ3501-300PW QBiC Mania SFF PC Review HEXUS.interview - Michael Robertson of Linspire Inc Various News Items [Apr-19-05] (0 Comments) spire X-Plorer Case @ A True Review News: Zalman's VF700 GPU coolers Tt Rocket Passive H2O Kit Asus K8N-E Deluxe Motherboard Review @ CoolTechZone The Apple iPod Though The Eyes Of A 13 Year Old @ The Tech Zone Various News Items [Apr-19-05] (0 Comments) Cooler Master Real Power 550W Power Supply Video Review Thermalrock Circle Full Tower Case @ AMDReview.com Open New Pentium M board based on 915G Alviso Platform DFI LANPARTY 925X-T2 Motherboard Antec P160 Aluminum Case @ ThinkComputers.org Various News Items [Apr-15-05] (0 Comments) Basic Diagnosis Guidelines for Your PC First Look: PalmOne Tungsten E2 PDA @ CoolTechZone Nvidia nForce4 Intel Edition chipset review Bigbruin.com Review: Ultra Products 2.5" Aluminum USB 2.0 HD Enclosure AC Ryan Re-Invents: New Roundcable2-FX Various News Items [Apr-15-05] (0 Comments) ABIT Fatal1ty AA8XE i925XE LGA775 Motherboard For something REALLY different... Sony Playstation Portable SimpleTech 1GB DC DDR PC4000 NeroLINUX 2 Review Cooling by Pratt and Whitney @ dansdata.com [Apr-12-05] (0 Comments) Casepower's iCute 0408 SL computer case has, at first glance, a freakin' great jet intake on the front of it. The truth is not quite as exciting, but this is still a pretty fun enclosure. Cheap, too. Various News Items [Apr-12-05] (0 Comments) Need For Speed: Underground 2 Review @ NewsTechInfo.com Experience the Strange and Twisted World of Internet Cafes @ The Tech Zone What is Impedance? @ eCoustics Review: Silverstone FM82 Variable Speed Fan @ Tech-Mods.net HEXUS.review - SavRow Katana 3D-9 Portable Workstation Various News Items [Apr-12-05] (0 Comments) Forceware driver roundup update @ origo3D.com Cooler Master Aquagate Mini R120 @ InsaneTek Aspire X-Plorer Steel Case Video Review #554 Logitech MX-1000 Cordless Laser Mouse Review MSI K8T-Neo FIS2R Motherboard Review @ CoolTechZone Various News Items [Apr-11-05] (0 Comments) Lian Li PC-V65 Plus Review @ overclockercafe.com Shuttle's XPC ST20G5 mini-barebones system @ techreport.com Intel multi & dual-core processors technology review @ a1-electronics.net CG-LOCK Performance Vehicle Seatbelt Enhancer Review @ futurelooks.com Asus K8V-SE Deluxe Motherboard Review @ CoolTechZone Various News Items [Apr-11-05] (0 Comments) Sunbeam Silent Anodized LED Fan's @ ThinkComputers Review: EZ Power Supply Tester & USB Vacuum Review @ Tech-Mods.net Gigabyte GA-K8N Ultra SLI Motherboard Review @ Short-Media.com Bigbruin.com Review: Ultra Products ULT31310 & Vantec NST-355U2 Drive Enclosures @ bigbruin.com 10 Reasons To Make Your Next PC A Notebook @ The Tech Zone Chaintech VNF4 Ultra ZENITH VE @ techniz.co.uk [Apr-07-05] (0 Comments) The Chaintech VNF4-Ultra was featuring the new Nvidia nForce 4 Ultra chipset that delivers significant performance gains with variety of new generation architectures including dual-channel DDR, PCI-Express interface and Serial-ATA II interface for improving storage performance. The motherboard itself has a lot of built in features such as Gigabit LAN, RAID, and 7.1 channel sound. Enermax CS-718 Chassis @ pureoverclock.com [Apr-07-05] (0 Comments) To fully appreciate Enermax’s design with this case, you need to understand the current state of form factors. There is currently a transitional period taking place. The ATX form factor (Advanced Technology eXtended) will eventually be replaced with BTX (Balanced Technology eXtended), Intel’s new internal PC design standard for combating the ever increasing power demands of components, such as processors and graphics cards. Despite all these increases in heat and power output, the demand for quieter working environments from the consumer is ever increasing. BTX will attempt to address these crucial issues. The CS-718 is not BTX, though, but during this transitional period, BTX has inspired case designers to implement BTX style designs using the ATX form factor. Enermax is one such company. Various News Items [Apr-07-05] (0 Comments) Sunbeam Chameleon @ ThinkComputers.org BFR Review: Antec 1650B Small Tower Case @ bonafidereviews.com Titan Siberia air cooler heatsink review. @ a1-electronics.net First Look: nTren MP3 Watch @ CoolTechZone Various News Items [Apr-07-05] (0 Comments) News Flash - Targus ChillHub Notebook USB 2.0 Cooling Pad Review @ futurelooks.com Bigha Jasper Always @ A True Review Review: Sunbeam Samurai Mid Tower Case Review @ Tech-Mods.net Samsung YH-925 20 GB Digital Audio Player @ TechTastic.ca Is Your Always On Connection Always Secured? @ thetechzone.com Various News Items [Apr-07-05] (0 Comments) HIS Radeon X800XL Review @ overclockercafe.com Intel commissions Futuremark development @ hexus.net Nikao ALIEN P4-520W & ICE P4-450W Power Supply Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM AMD Venice core 3200+ Overclocking @ pcper.com OCZ DDR2 PC2-4200 Platinum Enhanced Bandwidth Ltd. Revision 2 Dual Channel Review @ AuphanOnline.com Sansun LED Keyboard @ insanetek.com [Apr-06-05] (0 Comments) Those who go to LAN parties with pimped out systems now have an extra piece of hardware to show off--the keyboard. What we have today is an LED keyboard from Sansun. The keyboard has built in blue LEDs that glow when the system is turned on. Xtrac Hybrid Mouse Pad Review at XYZ Computing @ xyzcomputing.com [Apr-06-05] (0 Comments) Xtracs newest pad, the Hybrid, combines the smoothness of a plastic mousing surface with the flexibility of cloth. One problem a lot of people, especially LAN party-goers, have with plastic, aluminum, and glass pads is that that cannot be rolled up when being transported. This means that a special place has to be set aside for them and that they cannot be too large, otherwise theu would be very heavy and tough to move. In the Hybrid, Xtrac strives to integrate the flexibility of a cloth pad into a plastic surface pad, which is clearly preferable with todays optical mice. Various News Items [Apr-05-05] (0 Comments) Shuttle nF4 SN25P XPC @ t-break NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition @ pcper.com MTB Clean Case Contest 2005 @ MODTHEBOX.COM Xuke Mp600 mp3 player @ Rbmods DFI LANParty NF4 SLI-DR Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com Various News Items [Apr-05-05] (0 Comments) Jackito Fingertip-Touchscreen PDA Preview @ The Tech Zone ThinkComputers Case Gallery G-mail Giveaway! @ thinkcomputers.org ESPN Major League Baseball 2K5 Review @ NewsTechInfo.com verclockers New Zealand has posted a review on Nvidia 6600GT SLI. @ overclockers.co.nz NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition @ hexus.net Flexiglow xRaider Mouse and Keyboard @ atruereview.com [Apr-04-05] (0 Comments) As gamers, hobbyists and modders our cases look cool. As a gamer, modder, or hobbyist; does your keyboard and mouse match? Flexiglow, a leader in modding products, has created their xRaider keyboard and mouse to solve this bland problem. Obsolete Is A Dirty Word (Intel Pentium 64 Bit Microchip) @ bigbruin.com [Apr-02-05] (0 Comments) Get ready everyone, home computers are about to set new LAN speed records! The Intel 64-bit microchip will soon be powering the new line of Pentium 4 computers. This long awaited sizzling fast release will be heading to store shelves across America just in time for the new blazing fast Windows 64-bit operating system. Youll get the 64-bit Pentium microchip, the 64-bit operating system, and thats not all, if you spend all your money, youll also get all the new 64-bit stellar fast software programs that will leave current versions coughing in the rooster tail of their 64-bit micro-dust. Various News Items [Apr-01-05] (0 Comments) Samsung SATA 120 GB Hard Drive @ A True Review Thermaltake Fanless103 CPU Cooler Review @ XYZ Computing The Ingredients For A Great Computer Game @ The Tech Zone World sensation - the interactive online overclocking tool @ ocinside.de Bigbruin.com Review: Thermaltake Armor VA8000 Tower Case Various News Items [Mar-31-05] (0 Comments) Editorial: HP cartridge refilling & refurbishment Epox 9NPA+ nForce4 Ultra Motherboard Review @ pcper.com Review: TITAN Vanessa S-Type Heatpipe CPU Cooler @ Tech-Mods.net ASUS Vento 3600 Case Review @ pcstats.com News Flash - Sony Online Entertainment's Everquest II for the PC Review @ futurelooks.com Various News Items [Mar-31-05] (0 Comments) LiteOn SOHW-1673S @ overclockersonline.com Seagate's Barracuda 7200.8 hard drive @ techreport.com Dell Axim X50v Pocket PC Review @ The Tech Zone Titan Vanessa S-Type air cooler heatsink review @ a1-electronics.net Bigbruin.com Review: Sunbeamtech 20 in 1 Superior Panel @ bigbruin.com Various News Items [Mar-31-05] (0 Comments) AMD64 Dual Core Physical Design Specs and Photo! @ amdboard.com BeanTech Igloo 11 Aluminum Case Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM AMD Athlon64 3500+ Overclocking Adventure @ pcstats.com Cooler Master AQUAGATE Mini R120 Water Cooling System Video Review SilverStone Temjin TJ02 Enclosure Review @ XYZ Computing Voice over IP for Beginners @ The Tech Zone [Mar-30-05] (0 Comments) For those who have never heard about the potential of VoIP, be prepared to radically change the way you think about your current long-distance calling plan. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is very simply, a method for taking ordinary analog audio signals and turning them into digital signals that can be sent over the Internet. So what? Well, for those of you who are already paying a monthly fee for an Internet connection, this means that you can use that same connection to place free long distance phone calls. This process works by using already available VoIP software to make phone calls over the Internet, essentially circumventing phone companies and their service charges. Boise's 'Old Skool' LAN Party @ cluboverclocker.com [Mar-30-05] (0 Comments) The 'Old Skool' LAN was a great success, and so far has guaranteed that our infamous Frag Fest 2005 will be a great success. There were many gamers that just enjoyed taking some time off from their busy lives to take part in some very well organized tournaments. MSN P4N Diamond - Digitally Switched SLI @ HEXUS.net [Mar-30-05] (0 Comments) Since SLI's rebirth a few months ago, nForce 4 SLI chipset users have been burdened with the task of inverting a daughterboard or setting a heap of jumpers to reconfigure the lane setup of their PEG slots. However, that is now changing. Motherboard manufacturers are starting to create digital switches for SLI, making life that little bit easier for the enthusiast. Here we have the first box shot of MSI's P4N Diamond motherboard, which is an nForce 4 for Intel based board, in fact the first P4 SLI board with a digital SLI switch. Altec Lansing InMotion IM3 Portable Audio Review @ Tech-Mods.net [Mar-30-05] (0 Comments) Personal music players have been around for some time now; we have seen many different sizes and styles over the years. From the once great cassette tape, right down to the MP3 players we are used to today. As portable and personal these units have been designed, there are times we would like to share the music we carry with us. Today we will be looking at a portable audio station; designed mainly for the well known I-Pod but yet flexible to be used with near any other portable device you may have. Let’s see if this paperback sized unit can fill a small library when you’re in the sharing mood? NZXT Nemesis Elite @ Controlled Insanity [Mar-29-05] (0 Comments) Also included in the "bling" of this case is the option of having seven colors to choose from for the front bezel LED, inside the front bay door is a little button that when pushed changes the color of the LED. So for those of us that are fashion driven...we will always be in style with the correct colors for all seasons. I can only speak for myself, but I know I would hate to be caught at a LAN displaying last year’s color on the front of my case. Epox 9NPA+ SLI @ t-break [Mar-29-05] (0 Comments) We're usually eager to receive motherboard from Epox as they tend to push performance and overclocking abilities and thus, we were quite excited when their SLI board- the 9NPA+ SLI landed in our labs. Foxconn WinFast NF4K8MC nForce4 Mainboard Review @ The Overclocker Cafe [Mar-29-05] (0 Comments) Given it's size, with stock settings, the Foxconn NF4K8MC motherboard could be labeled as the little engine that could. With the exception of the CPU Multimedia benchmarks, it outclassed its Intel based counterpart. The board doesn't have all the bells and whistles such as SLI, dual LAN, and only two DIMM slots but it does have everything else the average computer user would need or want in a system. mCubed T-Balancer SL4 @ A True Review [Mar-27-05] (0 Comments) Part of being a computer modder is control. A modder likes to control the look, sound, and performance of their computers. One major aspect of computer control is controlling various fan speeds the our computers have. The reason one wants to control fan speeds is because of the relationship between computer temperatures and noise. Higher fan speeds are potentially lower computer temperatures, but higher noise output. Naturally, each person has their own acceptable balance between noise and temperatures. One product that can help you find and efficiently maximize that balance is the T-Balancer SL4 by mCubed. Just what can the T-Balancer do? Read on and find out. Scythe FCS-50 HSF Review @ Ap0calypse.com [Mar-27-05] (0 Comments) In a couple of my past reviews I have had the chance to try out some of Scythe’s processor coolers, the Kama and Kamakaze2. Both of these coolers were pretty basic in the way of design, and performed well. When Scythe asked me to take a look at their FCS-50 cooler equipped with a new “Heatlane” technology, I readily accepted in hopes this new design would exceed the performance of the others. As you will read, I was not disappointed. Icemat Siberia Multi Headset @ atruereview.com [Mar-25-05] (0 Comments) In an ideal gaming environment, we would be able to setup high quality speakers and play in glass-shattering glory. Unfortunately, we are not always in the ideal environment and the use of rattling speakers is not always practical or allowed. Whether it be complaining neighbors, roommates, or fellow LAN gamers (imagine every gamer at a LAN party with speakers at full blast ;-); this is where headsets come in. Headsets allow you to game without disturbing those around. They also have a microphone for games that utilize it. DFI LanParty UT nF4 Ultra-D Motherboard @ Bigbruin.com [Mar-24-05] (0 Comments) There is no end to the amount of tweaking you are allowed on this board. With very minor effort and time, I was able to get a FSB of 300 MHz at a multiplier of 8 for a CPU frequency of 2400 MHz. With some time spent, this board will go much higher, although this particular (AMD A64 3000+) CPU was not helping. This seemed like a good place to run a complete set of benchmarks for comparison... XTRAC Hammer, XTRAC Ripper XL and Steelpad QcK+ Mousepads @ overclockers.com.au [Mar-24-05] (0 Comments) After using the XTRAC Ripper XL and Steelpad QcK+ for a while, I can see that cloth mousepads do have their place. People who regularly lug their PC to LANs would benefit from being able to roll their mousepad up and throw it in a bag without having to worry about bending and creasing, etc. They're certainly much, much better to use than the "wetsuit" cloth mousepads of old. Powercolor Theatre 550 Pro TV Tuner Review @ pcstats.com [Mar-23-05] (0 Comments) In this review, PCstats will be testing out the Powercolor Theatre 550 Pro TV tuner, which is based on ATIs Theatre 550 Pro digital audio/video processing chipset. As you might or might not know, this particular chipset is currently the hottest thing in TV-tunerland, due to its support for a number of uncommon features, including 2D and 3D comb filtering. As you might expect, the ATI Theatre 550 chip is also found in ATIs latest Multimedia products too. Can anyone beat Apple's iPod? @ CoolTechZone [Mar-23-05] (0 Comments) Apple Computer, Inc. announced its iPod music player few years ago. Until then Apple was hardly a known company amongst regular computing users, due to the company’s high-end Macintosh computers that were based on OS X, a completely new and unfamiliar platform to many users. With the introduction of iPod, which could be a desperately planned strategy from Apple to acquire market shares in the budding portable and online music industry, Apple’s iPod boomed, literally boomed to a point that no other MP3 player manufacturer could counterattack Apple’s strategy. ECS's 915-A Mainboard @ HEXUS.net [Mar-22-05] (0 Comments) Use of the Intel i915GV core logic is what really defines the 915-A's feature set. At first glance, it's hard to spot the difference between 915G and 915GV. 915GV doesn't support a 16 lane PCI Express bundle for routing to a PEG16X electrical slot, for graphics. With that electrical slot physically present on the 915-A, you'll notice the lanes routed to the slot, of which there are only two, are provided by the ICH6 I/O southbridge processor rather than the 915GV northbridge. It also supports an AGP 4X/8X electrical slot, conjured up by similar black majiks (the bonding of two PCI hosts from the ICH6), so for the CPU to communicate with any discrete graphics card, be they in the faux-AGP slot or the PEG16X slot with only 2 lanes routed to it, the communication has to go via the 266MiB/sec Intel Hub link between i915GV and ICH6, since everything discrete graphics wise is connected to the ICH6. Icemat Siberia Headphones @ ThinkComputers.org [Mar-21-05] (0 Comments) Sound is an integral part of every computer advocate's life: from listening to music to experiencing the intense and sometimes frightening in-game sound effects. The world of designing headsets that have great sound, look great, and are all cost effective is a demanding and competitive market. Icemat, previously only a mouse pad manufacturer, has taken an interesting step forward into the audio market with a release of some MP3 players and the Icemat Audio Siberia headphones. In this review we’ll be looking at how confident of a step they took and how the sound quality of these headphones compare to another top-of-the-line headphone model as well as their durability for traveling LAN partiers and their level of comfort. Altec Lansing inMotion iM4 Portable Speakers Preview @ CoolTechZone [Mar-21-05] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing has always been known to produce quality speakers at affordable prices. While the speakers may have sounded great, Altec Lansing wasn’t much of an innovator. Their speaker aesthetics, although professional, were standard to the ones from every other manufacturer in the market. However, that changed when the company decided to deliver speaker sets for notebook computers, Apple’s iPod and eventually the remaining portable audio market. While it took Altec Lansing sometime to come up with something that was truly extraordinary, their latest line of portable speakers may be a milestone for the company. Altec Lansing GT-5051 @ Overclockers Online [Mar-19-05] (0 Comments) The GT5051 speakers are a hit and miss affair for gaming, some games sound great, others less so. What is for sure is that 5.1 gaming is a major advancement to gaming and should be utilized as much as possible in the future. However, in most cases you’d be better served by an actual 5.1 setup if space permits. While there is nothing detracting here for the most part, there is too much missing to consider them as a real gamers’ gaming speaker. Preventing Laptop Computer Theft @ The Tech Zone [Mar-19-05] (0 Comments) While technology has made laptops smaller, easier to store and transport, it has also made them easier to conceal and steal. It’s the convenience that has made the laptop computer so popular and the information vehicle of choice for business people throughout the world. The computer itself is a valuable asset and one that should be protected, but it can be replaced, however, the information stored on it in many cases is not replaceable and of greater value to competitors if compromised. A thief can get a few thousand dollars for a top of the line laptop, but he can get a whole lot more for a company’s marketing plans. Editorial: Apple Discovers 2nd Finger with 2-Button Mouse @ CoolTechZone [Mar-18-05] (0 Comments) There are rumors spreading around that suggest Apple plans to reveal a two-button mouse to Macintosh users sometime soon. It’s about time Apple finally made this idea a reality and realize the importance of a two-button mouse for converting Windows users. The first problem Windows users face when switching to Macintosh is that the inherent limitations of a single-button mouse quite literally drives them insane. While numerous (excluding early Mac adopters) users have complained about this issue, Apple seemed to be holding steadfast and brutally declined to listen to anything Windows users had to say; at least that’s what many concluded from Apple’s lack of response. AMD Dual Core Processor Plans @ PC Perspective [Mar-17-05] (0 Comments) In a more detailed look at the advantages dual core Athlon 64 processors will have over in the digital home and multitasking, there is still nothing mentioned of gaming. That is because the FX line of processors from AMD is going to remain single core for at least all of 2005. With all current games and probably all games in the coming year remaining single threaded, AMD says the gamer will not see a major benefit in the move to dual core processors. Apple iPod Shuffle (1GB) MP3 Player Review @ auphanonline.com [Mar-17-05] (0 Comments) The latest member in the prestigious Apple iPod family promises to turn heads. At first glance you may wonder if its even an iPod, but I assure you -- its a whole lot of iPod in a very tiny package! Corepad Magna Blue @ atruereview.com [Mar-16-05] (0 Comments) Today I take a look at the Corepad Magna. Based in the Netherlands, Corepad Gaming Gear is pretty well known for their oddly named "Corepad" mousing surfaces. What makes them different? They are made of an ultra hard safety glass construction. Let's get started... Tagan TG480-U22 Silent Power Supply Review @ pcreview.co.uk [Mar-13-05] (0 Comments) During the last twelve month period the Computer Power Supply market has become very competitive. For a while those seeking a quality PSU would mostly look to only Antec or Enermax. Tagan gained a good foothold in the market a little over a year ago with their attention to detail and assurance their PSU's would deliver the quoted current without hiccups. And now we have a new kid on the block, Hiper, also supplying up market PSU's. DFI LanParty UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 Motherboard Review at XYZ Computing @ xyzcomputing.com [Mar-12-05] (0 Comments) The LanParty series from DFI has been around for a some time now and has built up a great reputation. These boards have been known to overclock very well, are readily available, and are reasonably priced. If this was not enough they are UV-reactive so they look super cool too. They are especially catered to the enthusiast system builder so, as you would imagine, they are on they way to becoming legendary in forums worldwide. The cool looking box shows how DFI is pushing their products to gamers and overclockers. This socket 939 motherboard is poised to become an enthusiasts favorite... Various News Items [Mar-11-05] (0 Comments) Why Solitaire Is Better Than Half Life 2 @ The Tech Zone Bigbruin.com Article: Basics of Flash Memory, Part 1: SD and MMC @ bigbruin.com Cebit 2005 impression @ Teamhardware.com Razotech Green Ram Mod Kit Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM HEXUS.interview - ATI's Godfrey Cheng - It's all about the beans Various News Items [Mar-11-05] (0 Comments) XG XCASE Review @ ThinkComputers Crucial Ballisitx 1GB DDR PC4000 @ techniz.co.uk Arctic Cooling Silentium T1 @ InsaneTek Toshiba MK1031GAS 100GB 2.5" Hard Disk @ 3dvelocity.com Sunbeam Transformer Case Giveaway! @ CoolTechZone Various News Items [Mar-11-05] (0 Comments) Tips For Taking Great Digital Photos @ The Tech Zone HEXUS.feature - CeBIT 2005: XFX DUAL 6800 Ultras /w 512MB per card! Windows XP Tweaking Companion V1.04 @ TweakGuides.com Samsung CLP-510n Color Laser Printer Review @XYZ Computing Western Digital Raptor WD740 SATA Hard Drive Review @ pcstats.com Various News Items [Mar-10-05] (0 Comments) DHT-819C 5.1 Channel Surround Sound Speakers @ bigbruin.com Microsoft Zoo Tycoon 2 for the PC Review @ futurelooks.com Thermaltake Beetle @ InsaneTek Razer Diamondback Gaming Mouse @ A True Review OpenOffice.org 2.0 Beta Review @ CoolTechZone Various News Items [Mar-09-05] (0 Comments) Gigabyte GA-K8N Ultra-SLI Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com Auphan Online sits down with ATI to discuss their Catalyst Drivers @ auphanonline.com Samsung CLP-550's @ overclockersonline.com When Will Ugly Computer Cases Disappear? @ CoolTechZone BFR Article: Look out PDA, here comes TDA @ bonafidereviews.com Various News Items [Mar-07-05] (0 Comments) Albatron Trinity PC6600GT PCI-E Review @ cluboc.ne oolMax 140mm Power Supply Review @ ModSynergy.com Soltek K8T890 @ t-break Intel's BTX Form Factor - An Analysis and Opinion @ HEXUS Creative Zen Micro Portable Audio Player @ 3dvelocity.com Various News Items [Mar-07-05] (0 Comments) Mushkin 1Gb PC4400 @ Rbmods Review: Mutant Mods Modding Gear @ Bigbruin.com SPX500 ATX Power Supply @ A True Review Fanless Power Supply Roundup @ XYZ Computing The Future of Video Games @ The Tech Zone Texas Gaming Festival LAN Party Coverage @ cooltechzone.com [Mar-05-05] (0 Comments) The Texas Gaming festival is a successful LAN event that has been taking place in Dallas, Texas for the past few years. Over the years, it has become one of the top most visited and sponsored LAN events in the nation with attendance easily surpassing the 500-attendee attendance. This year was no different. In fact, this was perhaps the most successful attempt at a LAN event especially when ATI decided to launch its X850 XT PE 512MB graphics card officially. Various News Items [Mar-05-05] (0 Comments) Bigbruin.com Review: Thermaltake Soprano ATX Case First Albatron nForce4 SLI motherboard spec and photo posted @ amdboard.com Linux Gaming @ HEXUS HIS X850XT IceQ II Turbo Dual DVI VIVO 256MB PCI-E Video Card @ 3dgameman.com Logitech diNovo Media Desktop @ AMD Review Various News Items [Mar-05-05] (0 Comments) kwaFlo RAM Cooler Review @ OCModShop Corsair Twinxp1024 3200xl (Xpert) @ Rbmods AOpen i915Pa-PLF Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com Swissbit's 2 Gig Twist Pro Flash Drive @ TechTastic.ca Thermaltake Big Typhoon @ InsaneTek Aerocool Spiral Galaxies WTX Case @ Controlled Insanity [Mar-03-05] (0 Comments) First impressions are very important. They determine 90% of your opinion of a product/person/whatever, and my first impression of the design of this case was exceptionally good. I spent a few moments marveling at the design. While at a quick glance it might not be completely obvious the differences between this case and every other full tower case out there, if you spend a moment and focus on the case you can see many subtleties that make the visual appeal of this case A+. ASUS's A8N-SLI Deluxe vs DFI's LanParty UT nF4 SLI-D @ hexus.net [Feb-28-05] (0 Comments) Both come recommended, but the DFI has strings to its bow that you will not find elsewhere. Go forth and purchase, theres absolutely no finer Athlon 64 mainboard at the time of writing. Razer Diamondback @ rbmods.com [Feb-27-05] (0 Comments) We have seen the Viper and the Boom slang from Razer before and now they are once again out with one new cool looking mouse. The Diamondback is now on our test bench so we can give our thoughts and feelings on this mouse. It has got some great reviews already so will we give it our highest rating also and does it really work as well as they say and is it any better than the Viper? Various News Items [Feb-25-05] (0 Comments) Icemat Siberia Multi Headset @ TechTastic.ca Intel Pentium 4 600 series processors review @ a1-electronics.net Pariah @ hexus.net Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-SLI nForce4-SLI Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com Various News Items [Feb-25-05] (0 Comments) AMD's Athlon FX - CPU Scaling to 3GHz and 250MHz dHTT @ hexus.net Ultra 80 & 120mm Titanium Finish Fans @ 3dgameman.com MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum/SLI Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com Mushkin 1GB DC DDR PC4400 @ techniz.co.uk A4 Tech EasyGo Notebook USB Optical Mouse Review @ futurelooks.com Various News Items [Feb-24-05] (0 Comments) Danger Den RBX Waterblock Review @ OCModShop Sunbeam Night magic, Lazerled and Led projector @ Rbmods Ultra X-Finity 600W Power Supply Video Review @ 3dgameman.com Dual MSI NX6600GT-TD128E SLI Videocard Review @ pcstats.com Sunbeam Transformer Giveaway @ A True Review ATi Radeon X850XT Platinum Edition Review @ cluboc.net Various News Items [Feb-23-05] (0 Comments) World Exclusive - Gainward Launch 512MB Graphics Card @ hexus.net Intel Pentium4 3.73GHz EE @ t-break AMD Cool'n'Quiet How-To @ Envy News Handy Recovery 2.0 Undeletion and Data Recovery Software Review @ pcstats.com Logitech MX1000 Mouse @ HEXUS News: Nokia 6600 & BL-6C Battery Mod Article @ MetkuMods Various News Items [Feb-23-05] (0 Comments) MSI NX6600GT-VTD128 @ Viper Lair Serif PagePlus 10 @ bonafidereviews.com Thermalrock Circle Silver Designer ATX Computer Case Review @ Tweaknews.net Installing two 80mm radiators & water reservoir in a computer case review @ a1-electronics.net Beginner's Guide To HTTP @ The Tech Zone Various News Items [Feb-23-05] (0 Comments) Thermaltake Soprano @ The Moditory: Overclocking the Socket 754 AMD Athlon 64 @ OCIA.net Exclusive: Puredepth MLD-3000 Multi-Layer LCD Display Review @ XYZ Computing Concepts Mobile 5 Port Hub USB 2.0 @ TechTastic.ca Corsair XMS4400 CAS 2.5 Review @ cluboc.net Various News Items [Feb-23-05] (0 Comments) Ultra-Violet Video Game Editorial @ The Tech Zone PC Perspective Hardware Leaderboard @ pcper.com Forceware Roundup 2005 (WHQL, Beta, DNA-Force, TC-Force, XtremeG) @ origo3D.com The Current State of nVidia SLI - SLI Part 3 @ OCModShop Intel Pentium 4 6xx Review @ The Tech Zone Various News Items [Feb-22-05] (0 Comments) Water-cooling for Everyone 3: Swiftech & ThermalTake @ A True Review Tt Armor Case Review @ overclockercafe.com Foxconn/Winfast NF4UK8AA-8EKRS Review @ cluboc.net Silverstone SST-LC10 HTPC Case Review @ CoolTechZone Zalman CNPS7000A-AlCu Heatsink Review Various News Items [Feb-21-05] (0 Comments) XG Vortec 500 Review – Pure Power @ cluboc.net Thermaltake Beetle air cooled heatsink review @ a1-electronics.net Sapphire X800 PCI-E Review @ The Tech Zone Review: AC Ryan RyanPower2 550W PSU @ Bigbruin.com Intel's Prescott-2M: Pentium 4 660 and Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.73GHz @ HEXUS Intel 660 and 3.73 GHz XE Processor Review @ pcper.com Qtechnology QT-03460G @ Rbmods [Feb-18-05] (0 Comments) Todays computers demands more and more powerful power supplys than back in the old days. At the same time the quality of the components in todays power supplys have to be absolutley top notch. Let us not forget that it also has to be dead silence since the age of jet planes has left the building. Welltoday we will look at one of QTechnology's challengers. It's the QTechnology QT-03460G Papst Series, which hopefully will live up to all those 3 demands. Shall we begin the challenge!? Here we go! Various News Items [Feb-18-05] (0 Comments) Sunbeamtech Chameleon Lighting Controller @ bigbruin.com Gigabyte 3D1 @ t-break USB Flash Drive Comparison: Corsair vs. Kingston @ XYZ Computing ATI's Radeon X800 256MB and Radeon X850 PRO @ HEXUS Altec Lansing GT5051 5.1 Surround Speaker System Video Review @ 3dgameman.com Lian Li V2000 Tower Review @ GruntVillE [Feb-17-05] (0 Comments) "The entire Lian Li V-Series comes standard with billet aluminum wheels. Now if your desk is slanted, this could pose a problem but Lian Li thought of everything. The wheels come with a brake! The brake consists of a billet rectangle attached around the center of the rear axel and a metal plate. When the brake is engaged, the rectangle is pressed against the plate keeping it from spinning. When the brake is disengaged, the plate is slid back and allows the rectangle and axel to spin freely. Yup, there’s a parking brake to ensure your case doesn’t sneak out and try to take a spin when you’re sleeping. What’s that you say? Your desk is slick as glass and it’s slanted? Various News Items [Feb-15-05] (0 Comments) Revoltec Cold Cathode Twinset (blue) Review @ ocinside.de AOpen i915Pa-PLF mainboard review @ overclockercafe.com 4 Channel Wireless Camera System @ Bigbruin.com IBM's CELL Processor: Preview to Greatness? @ pcstats.com Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 3 Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Various News Items [Feb-15-05] (0 Comments) Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-SLI @ hexus.net Thermaltake's Silent 775 Heatsink @ TechTastic.ca Nvidia Forceware Tweak Guide @ TweakGuides.com AHT Bluetooth Accessories @ techniz.co.uk Revoltec Cold Cathode Twinset (blue) Review @ ocinside.de Various News Items [Feb-14-05] (0 Comments) Sunbeamtech Give-Away #2: 3 Chameleon Lightbuses @ Bigbruin.com BTX-ish ATX case reviewed! @ dansdata.com BTC 6300CL Ultra-slim EL Keyboard reviewed @ MetkuMods Beginners Guides: Linux Part 1: Getting Familiar @ pcstats.com Take2 Shuttle Ammo Boxes @ bit-tech Corsair TWIN2X1024-4300C3PRO @ Viper Lair Flexglow xRaider and FX Gamer Mousepads @ Controlled-Insanity Various News Items [Feb-14-05] (0 Comments) Cooler Master Wave Master Special Edition Reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com Arctic Cooling Silentium T2 ATX Case @ Bigbruin.com BFGTech 6800OC Video Card Review @ CoolTechZone SilverProp SilverStorm 3 & 4 radiators for water cooled systems review @ a1-electronics.net How To Avoid Internet Theft, Fraud and Phishing Scams @ The Tech Zone HIS Radeon X700 Pro IceQ Turbo 256 Meg PCI Express Videocard Review @ Tweaknews [Feb-11-05] (0 Comments) I have to be honest, when I first starting testing this videocard, I wasn't exactly expecting anything significant other than maybe a little higher benchmarking. What I actually encountered was an excellent performing videocard loaded with extra hardware and software, yet still has a MSRP US$199 pricetag seen associated with even the bland reference model from ATI. Various News Items [Feb-11-05] (0 Comments) Zensonic Z800 5.1 Home Theatre Speakers @ overclockers.com.au Cable Safe Cable Manager & Expansion Pack @ short-media.com Ultra Mini Portable 3.5" Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Blue-ray technology Editorial @ The Tech Zone DFI LANParty UT nF3 250Gb @ InsaneTek Various News Items [Feb-10-05] (0 Comments) Aerocool HT-101JR @ overclockersonline.com Chaintech GeForce 6200 TurboCache 32MB PCI-Express @ techniz.co.uk Mad Dog SurePower 600W Smart Cable @ InsaneTek Corsair PC3200 DDR400 value DDR memory kit @ a1-electronics.net HEXUS.review - Klipsch ProMedia GMX A-2.1 @ hexus.net Various News Items [Feb-10-05] (0 Comments) Asus Extreme N6600GT - SLI Part 2 @ ocmodshop.com orsair Flash Voyager USB 2.0 Flash Memory Drive @ 3dgameman.com ThermalRock Circle @ InsaneTek Hard Drives: ATA versus SATA @ bigbruin.com XTrac Hybrid Gaming Pad @ A True Review Various News Items [Feb-09-05] (0 Comments) Imation Disk Stakka Review @ overclockers.com.au Samsung 920T LCD Display Review @ XYZ Computing Sunbeam Lightbus Giveaway @ A True Review PrimeCooler HyperCool 4+ air cooler universal heatsink review @ a1-electronics.net Gigabyte 3D Cooler Ultra GT @ HEXUS Logitech MediaPlay review @ HWzone.co.il [Feb-05-05] (0 Comments) Various multimedia keys on the keyboard are nothing new, and in fact you can find them on most keyboards today, even the simple ones, but Logitech has decided to integrate these keys into the mouse. Its true that mice with many buttons aren't uncommon today, and most mice today come with about 5 such buttons that can be programmed however you like, but how about 12 buttons? You'll probably ask yourself why the hell would you (or anyone) need 12 buttons on your mouse? Well, Logitech didn't simply add useless buttons to the mouse, but tried to make it into something slightly different. With the first glance at the name of the mouse you will notice the word "MediaPlay" and indeed, that is the general idea behind this mouse - not another simple mouse, but a mouse that is supposed to be the answer for all the multimedia needs of your PC, and in fact become a remote control for your computer, but does it work? Various News Items [Feb-05-05] (0 Comments) Silverstone TJ-06 Case @ OCIA.net AOpen Silent Power AO400-12AHN Power Supply Review @ pcstats.com ATI Radeon X850 XT Platinum Edition review @ AMD Review Beantech BT-70 External Drive Case @ A True Review Review // XG Quantum ATX Case @ PimpRig Various News Items [Feb-04-05] (0 Comments) The State of Linux Gaming @ CoolTechZone Networking Basics @ The Tech Zone aigo F660 portable MP3 Player review @ pyroport.com Review: I-Rocks IR-7220 Optical Mouse @ BigBruin.Com TriGem KLOSS KL-I915A @ HEXUS CaseBuy EZ Power Supply Tester @ LAN Addict [Feb-03-05] (0 Comments) CaseBuy's EZ Power Supply Tester is very easy to use and it will tell you if you are getting power on a rail. Just don't expect it to do any more than that. This little gadget can save you a lot of time by weeding out dead power supplies, but you'll want to have a multimeter handy to make sure that you're getting the right amount of power from your rails before you use the PSU you're testing. Various News Items [Feb-03-05] (0 Comments) Casebuy USB Vacuum Cleaner reviewed @ MetkuMods DVdoctor.review - Sony HDR-FX1E @ hexus.net Gigabyte X700 PCI-E video card @ Rbmods ABC's of DVD Drive Abbreviations @ BigBruin.Com OCZ ModStream 520W @ InsaneTek Various News Items [Feb-03-05] (0 Comments) VIA PT880 Pro, PT894, PT894 Pro Chipset Preview @ CoolTechZone HIS x700 IceQ @ t-break Corsair Flash Voyager @ overclockersonline.com Zalman CNPS7700-Cu Heatsink Fan Review @ pcper.com Most Common Ways to Kill a PC @ pcstats.com Various News Items [Feb-03-05] (0 Comments) OCZ PC2-4200EB Platinum Rev 2 Ltd @ cluboc.net Seasonic S12 500W Power Supply @ BigBruin.Com Rediscovering The Web With Mozilla Firefox @ The Tech Zone Water cooler heatsink system investigations & tests review. @ a1-electronics.net Cheaters Taking Over our Games? @ ipkonfig.com Various News Items [Feb-03-05] (0 Comments) Arctic Cooling Freezer 4 Review at XYZ Computing @ xyzcomputing.com Thermaltake BigWater Water Cooling Kit Video Review #529 @ 3dgameman.com Samsung CLP-550 Laser Printer (Review) @ ipkonfig.com MGE Quantum Case @ A True Review Scythe FCS-50 Heatlane CPU Cooler reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com Various News Items [Feb-01-05] (0 Comments) Apple Ipod Shuffle 1GB Review at XYZ Computing @ xyzcomputing.com HIS X700Pro IceQ (PCI-E) Review @ overclockercafe.com How To Extend Notebook battery Life @ The Tech Zone PrimeCooler HyperCool III+ air cooler heatsink review. @ a1-electronics.net FSP AX500-A Blue Storm PSU Review @ Short-Media.com Various News Items [Feb-01-05] (0 Comments) Creative MuVo V200 Portable Audio Player @ 3dvelocity.com GIGABYTE GA-8I915G Duo Motherboard @ techniz.co.uk Samsung SyncMaster 243t - 24" LCD Monitor @ TechTastic.ca Microsoft Keyboard and Mouse Combo Shootout @ CoolTechZone Enermax CS-5271 "Black Knight" Case @ A True Review Various News Items [Jan-31-05] (0 Comments) Enermax CS-718 & AeroCool Gatewatch @ AMD Review ATi Radeon X800 Pro Review @ OCModShop X-Raypad Thunder 9 Mousepad Review @ Ascully.com VIA Intel Pentium 4 PT Chipset Preview and Launch @ VR-Zone Hardware Swiftech H20-120(Rev. 3) Liquid Cooling Kit @ OCIA.net Various News Items [Jan-31-05] (0 Comments) ThermalRock Dragon Case Review @ overclockercafe.com VIA PT Series Chipset Preview @ BigBruin.Com Intel P4 3.46EE Review @ t-break VIA PT880 Pro and PT894 Chipset Preview @ pcper.com HEXUS.preview - VIA's PT880 Pro and PT894 Core Logic Various News Items [Jan-31-05] (0 Comments) ATi Radeon X800 Pro Review @ OCModShop ABIT Fatal1ty AA8XE i925XE Motherboard @ OCTools.com VIA PT Series Chipset Preview @ thetechzone.com VIA PT Series Chipset Preview @ BigBruin.Com Help the Tsunami Victims @ InsaneTek Various News Items [Jan-31-05] (0 Comments) Newest NVIDIA nForce Professional dual-processor motherboard from Arima-Rioworks @ amdboard.com Review: Titan Vanessa CPU Cooler @ BigBruin.Com Altec Lansing inMotion3 Portable Audio System for Apple iPod @ BFR NVIDIA nForce Professional 2200 and 2050 Chipsets Preview @ CoolTechZone HIS X700Pro IceQ Turbo VIVO 256MB PCI-E @ overclockersonline.com SuperPower XP03P Mid-Tower ATX PC Case @ LAN Addict [Jan-30-05] (0 Comments) There's a lot to like about SuperPower's XP03P Mid-Tower ATX PC Case. The distinctive looks, the convenience of built-in handles, and the easy-access latching side panels are sure to be a hit with LAN gamers and other folks that change parts in their PC on a regular and/or frequent basis. If SuperPower can address the front bezel intake fan issue that I feel is very important and maybe do something about all those screws while they're at it, I think this would be a really good case design. Until then, it's just OK. LTB USB Pro 5.1 Headphone Set @ LAN Addict [Jan-29-05] (0 Comments) The LTB USB Pro 5.1 Headphone Set would make a great addition to any LAN gamer's travelling rig! The detachable microphone is a big plus, too! It would also do quite as the primary sound source on many home systems, especially if you're space limited. The sound you get from them is really remarkable, considering that they have their own AC97 audio decoder and run strictly off of a USB port. I can easily recommend these headphones to anyone looking for a personal sound solution for their PC! Various News Items [Jan-21-05] (0 Comments) ATI's Mobility Radeon X700 Launch @ HEXUS Sparkle 6600GT AGP 128MB VGA Review @ overclockers.co.nz Review: Sunbeam Tech Lighting Mods @ BigBruin.Com nTren Sound MP3 Watch @ A True Review SapphireTech Hybrid X700 Pro 256MB PCIe Video Card Case Modding 101: Shatterstar's Painting Guide @ MODTHEBOX.COM Gigabyte K8NXP-SLI Motherboard @ pcper.com XFX GeForce 6600GT 128MB AGP Review @ AuphanOnline.com ATI Interview - Matt Skyner @ HEXUS.net Various News Items [Jan-19-05] (0 Comments) Soltek K8TPro-939 AMD socket 939 motherboard review @ a1-electronics.net SilverStone Zeus ST-52F 520W Update @ InsaneTek Ultra X-Connect 500w Modular PSU Review @ overclockercafe.com Thermaltake Schooner Fanless VGA Cooler @ techniz.co.uk Comparing SLI setups @ t-break MSI MegaStick 256 Reviewed @ VR-Zone Hardware Various News Items [Jan-19-05] (0 Comments) AeroCool Spiral Galaxies Case Reviewed @ Hi-Techreviews.com Enermax CS-718 MaxFlow ATX Case @ PimpRig Fortron Source AX500-A Blue Storm @ cluboc.net Albatron GeForce 6600GT PCIe Reviewed @ VR-Zone Hardware 2005 CES - State Of The CE Industry Report @ The Tech Zone Deck LED Backlit Keyboard @ LAN Addict [Jan-18-05] (0 Comments) I really like the Deck LED Backlit Keyboard, especially while gaming. The USB interface means it's a snap to move from one machine to another. It uses the built-in Windows drivers, so there's no software to install. It gets its power through the USB connection, so there's no power cable to worry about. It's not perfect, but it's damn close! Various News Items [Jan-18-05] (0 Comments) NZXT Nemesis Elite Gaming Case @ InsaneTek Analysis: ATi Catalyst 5.1 @ HEXUS.net Letters 139! @ dansdata.com Asus P5GD2 Premium Intel 915P Motherboard @ pcper.com iRiver H320 MP3 Player Review @ HA "RAIDers of the Lost Benchmark" at XYZ Computing Various News Items [Jan-18-05] (0 Comments) Vantec EZ Swap 2 (Serial ATA & IDE) Video Review #522 @ 3dgameman.com Monitors - LCD vs. CRT @ BigBruin.Com CaseBuy's EZ Power Supply Tester @ TechTastic.ca Canon PowerShot S1 IS Digital Camera Review @ thetechzone.com BFR Review: Samsung SyncMaster 711T 17" LCD Monitor @ bonafidereviews.com Thermaltake Purepower 680W Power Supply @ techniz.co.uk Various News Items [Jan-17-05] (0 Comments) DDR2 Takes Off: OCZ PC2-4200 Rev.2 and ASUS P5AD2-E @ overclockers.com.au PDP System Patriot 1GB DC DDR2 PC4200+XBL @ techniz New nVidia ForceWare Betadriver v.71.50 speeds up Half Life 2 @ 3DChip Sunbeam Samurai ATX Case @ Spode's Abode Various News Items [Jan-17-05] (0 Comments) Kingwin Ultra Cool Laptop Cooler @ cluboverclocker.com 2005 Motherboard Plans Revealed @ CoolTechZone PolarFLO TT water blocks Universal AMD Athlon & Intel Pentium review. @ a1-electronics.net CES 2005 Coverage: Final Tidbits From the Show Floor @ CoolTechZone PolarFLO TT water blocks Universal AMD Athlon & Intel Pentium review. @ a1-electronics.net More than 100 price finders around the globe! @ amdboard.com Various News Items [Jan-17-05] (0 Comments) Startech Mutantmods modding products @ Rbmods Dual-Layer Standard May Die Soon @ CoolTechZone ATI Radeon X800 Pro @ Viper Lair " Gear and Roving in Las Vegas" @ XYZ Computing BigBruin.Com Review: Sunbeam Tech Samurai ATX Case Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 LGA775 P4 Heatpipe Cooler Review @ Tweaknews.net Always On Wireless WiFlyer @ A True Review Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 @ InsaneTek "CES 2005 Coverage - Part 2" at XYZ Computing @ xyzcomputing.com [Jan-16-05] (0 Comments) Welcome to the second installment of XYZ Computing's coverage of the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show. In case you have not seen our coverage yet, you may want to check out PART 1 or our supplementary Photo Gallery. As you probably know, the show was huge, so we are trying to break down our coverage into a few different sections. This is the only way that the 2400 companies, 1.5 million square feet, and four days of insanity can be sorted in even a semblance of order. Various News Items [Jan-15-05] (0 Comments) Zalman CNPS 7700-Cu @ OCIA.net Seasonic S12-600 watt PSU @ pcper.com I-Rocks Slim EL Keyboard and Cross-Directional Mouse reviewed @ Hi-techreviews.com How To: Laptop Memory (2GB) and Hard Drive (7,200RPM) Upgrade Video Review #521 @ 3dgameman.com Albatron Trinity GeForce 6600GT AGP Videocard @ pcstats.com Swiftech MCX462-V HSF @ MHW Various News Items [Jan-15-05] (0 Comments) Aspire Chameleon 550w PSU Review @ overclockercafe.com Enermax EG495AX-EV @ cluboc.net BigBruin.Com Article: Power and Your PC G.SKILL Extreme Series PC4800 512Mb Kit @ OCTools.com Verbatim 90X Store 'n' Go PRO USB 2.0 Drive Review @ d-silence.com Sunbeam Mini Baybus @ A True Review Various News Items [Jan-12-05] (0 Comments) The Mouse Paw @ A True Review SunBeamTech Transformer Case @ TechTastic.ca NVidia GeForce 6600 GT Anomaly @ overclockercafe.com CES Coverage: ATI and NVIDIA's Plans Revealed @ CoolTechZone 2005 CES Parties @ The Tech Zone Corsair XMS Xpert Memory @ HEXUS.net Various News Items [Jan-11-05] (0 Comments) Unlocking / Overclocking the 6800 @ OCIA.net Review: Logitech MX1000 Laser Mouse @ BigBruin.Com Swiftech H20-120 water cooled heatsink kit review. @ a1-electronics.net 2005 CES Report @ The Tech Zone Gigabyte K8NXP-9 Motherboard @ t-break Hypercool 4+ Heatsink reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com Various News Items [Jan-11-05] (0 Comments) Sunbeam Lightbus and Chameleon @ Rbmods News: Samsung ML-2251n Printer @ overclockersonline.com HIS X700Pro IceQ Turbo VIVO 256MB PCI-E Video Card Video Review #519 @ 3dgameman.com Thailand Display FlexKeyboard @ 3dvelocity.com CES 2005 Coverage @ pcper.com Corsair Twin2X1024-4300C3 DDR-2 Memory Review @ pcstats.com Ebuyer KC-XP02C Black And Silver Midi Tower Case Review @ Lan Fire [Jan-10-05] (0 Comments) Many of you will be spending in execs of £75 for your next case in the opinion that cheap cases are of always of bad quality, pre mods have not helped this view with there "tacky" lights and poor airflow management. This case seeks to disprove this lets see if it performs up to expectations... Sunbeam Thumbscrews @ LAN Addict [Jan-10-05] (0 Comments) What can I say? Sunbeam's thumbscrews look good and do the job they were designed to do. The only improvement I would like to see is an option for fine threads, like those on most, if not all, aluminum cases, such as those made by Lian Li. Other than that, these thumbscrews are great! Three-Way Gaming Mouse Showdown @ LAN Addict [Jan-10-05] (0 Comments) I have updated the MonsterGecko PistolMouse FPS portion of the Three-Way Gaming Mouse Showdown to reflect the fact that I am not terribly coordinated when it comes to mousing left handed. Various News Items [Jan-10-05] (0 Comments) I-ROCKS X-SLIM EL KEYBOARD X Slim Keyboard with Electron Luminescence and Cross-Directional Optical Mouse @ cluboc.net Logitech MX1000 Wireless mouse @ pyroport.com Silverstone LC10 HTPC Enclosure Review @ Ascully.com News: EZ Power Supply Tester Reviewed (Beneath the skin style) @ MetkuMods Abit Fatal1ty AA8XE Motherboard Review @ pcperspective.com Various News Items [Jan-10-05] (0 Comments) Gigabyte GeForce 6600 GT (GV-NX66T128D) PCI-E reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com Enermax CS-527 ATX PC Case @ ThinkComputers.org Gigabyte X600 XT and RigShowcase @ Envy News OCModShop's Best of 2004 Evercool WC-301 mini-water cooler review @ overclockercafe CES 2005 Coverage: Shuttle's First BTX XPC @ CoolTechZone 2006 Corvette Z06 Preview @ The Tech Zone Various News Items [Jan-07-05] (0 Comments) Evercool WC-202 Water Cooling Kit Review @ overclockercafe.com MSI K8N Diamond SLI @ t-break Intel's MatrixRAID Examined on OCAU Review: Samsung DuoCam SC-D6040 @ accelenation.com Raidmax Samurai 908 Gaming Case Video Review #518 @ 3dgameman.com SMC Gigabit Equipment Review @ OCModShop Corsair Flash Voyager USB 2.0 Drive 256MB @ OCTools.com Featured PimpRig // Project: Vash (Trigun) Various News Items [Jan-07-05] (0 Comments) Belkin 802.11g Wireless USB Print Server Review @ pcstats.com New Year Giveaway @ 3DV Philips PSC724 Ultimate Edge Six Channel Soundcard Review @ Tweaknews.net Soltek EQ3901-300P SFF PC @ Viper Lair PimpRig Review // NZXT Nemesis & Nemesis Elite Case Sunbeam Samurai Gaming Case @ A True Review BFR Review: HIS X700Pro IceQ Turbo VIVO 256MB @ bonafidereviews.com MSI Nx6800ultra AGP video card @ Rbmods Bargain Shopping 101: Hard-Drives @ TechFreaks Review: mCubed T-Balancer Fan Controller @ BigBruin.Com [Dec-31-04] (0 Comments) Rarely does a product emerge that is truly new and different. The T-Balancer from mCubed is exactly that. There are many ways to control the speed of fans on a computer. The most common involves some sort of a fanbus or rheostat with knobs on the front. Turn the knob up and the fan goes faster, down and it goes slower, pretty simple. The T-Balancer is nothing even remotely close to a fanbus. SilverStone LC03V Case Review @ OCModShop [Dec-31-04] (0 Comments) Overall this is a really good case and would be great for your HTPC or server if you plan on building one. The paint job on this case is amazing and the aluminum bezel will really stand out in your house. The removable motherboard tray and drive cages make installation much easier and faster which is always a good thing. The VFD and bright blue LEDs will add a lot to the case from a functional and aesthetic standpoint. For my project I hope to have it be silent and use no fans, however if needed there is a 60mm exhaust fan as well as a punch-out for an 80mm intake fan below the drive cages. Sunbeam Lightbus @ LAN Addict [Dec-30-04] (0 Comments) The Sunbeam Lightbus is really a nifty device and one that I'm kind of surprised hasn't been copied by anyone else. The fact that it can also be used to control fans is just icing on a pretty sweet cake! The only things I see that could be improved upon are making the hard drive connector a pass-through one so the cases HDD activity light can still be used, and finding a way to utilize the motherboard's or sound card's headers for accessing the sound signals, rather than using a pass-through cable that will have to be strung all the way across the interior of your case and out the back. Three-Way Gaming Mouse Showdown @ LAN Addict [Dec-29-04] (0 Comments) Your rig is all decked out and tweaked to the max, but how's your mouse? Are you still using a ball mouse to game with? Fear not! ldonyo takes a look at three optical gaming mice to help you frag your best! Vigor 500w Power Supply @ CompMod Central [Dec-29-04] (0 Comments) Most of us who build our own computers don't take the time to think of our Power Supplies as a critical component of our computers. Yet, where would our computers be without them? So, can't we have a PSU that looks good and at the same time functions like its out of this world? Yes, XGBox has been kind enough to provide us with their Vigor 500 watt Power Supply and at first glance i'd say this PSU will definitely be worth taking a look at in your next system build. Cooler Master Wavemaster LE @ cluboc.net [Dec-29-04] (0 Comments) You ever wonder if there is such thing as a perfect case? You ever completely wasted so much time and energy on modding a case only to go to a LAN and the guy next to you has a case that looks exactly like yours after you spent $200 on mods, and another $200 for the tools to mod it with? How about going to an autobody shop to have your case professionally painted? Have you wasted a bunch of time searching for the perfect pre-modded case and finally bought it after thorough researching, only to find out it was a $20 cheapie with two $5 fans that cost you $250.00? If you answered any of these questions and are still looking, this review may be the answer you're looking for. IAOD Gaming Exposition & TFL Winter Fragfest 2004 Report @ MODTHEBOX.COM [Dec-29-04] (0 Comments) Christmas came early for the Toronto gaming community as the TFL kicked off it's year end IAOD Gaming Exposition and Winter Fragfest on December 17th-19th, 2004. The event would build on the success of previous venues such as the CompuSmart LAN Party, LANGM CPL Canada, Netropass TFL Summer Fragfest, Labatt X-Fest II and TFL Pure II. The IAOD Gaming Exposition and Winter Fragfest promoted a fun filled 3-day weekend held at the International Academy of Design & Technology in downtown Toronto. Sunbeam Lighting Accessories @ OCIA.net [Dec-29-04] (0 Comments) This brings me to, in my opinion, the second coolest product in Sunbeams lineup, the Sunbeam Night Magic. I’ll be honest and say that at first glance I didn’t think I would be very impressed with these. Generally strings of lights are reserved for Christmas trees where I come from. This being said though, I tried to stay open minded. Psu mod - Blue breather @ Lan Fire [Dec-28-04] (0 Comments) The Christmas holidays started and boredom set in so I started a project, in fact my first nodding project! The victim was an old 400w generic psu that was unused and unloved having been replaced by an awsome 550w unit. Because the materials I used are so cheap the 400w is in essence a practice for my 550w psu. Destruction doesn't matter in this mod ;) How IP-Based Video Surveillance Works @ The Tech Zone [Dec-28-04] (0 Comments) When you’re shopping around for an IP-based video surveillance system, you will need to be particularly cautious about what exactly you’re looking at and what the individual terms mean. How IP-based video surveillance works is open to interpretation as far as some video surveillance and security salespeople are concerned -- not because they are trying to confuse the issues, but because there is no genuine consensus on what the term “IP-based” or related ones such as “networked” or “web-based” means. Crucial Ballistix Tracer Giveaway @ LAN Addict [Dec-27-04] (0 Comments) WIN a 1GB kit of Crucial(R) Ballistix(TM) Tracer(TM) PC4000 memory simply by registering in our forums and sending an email - it's that easy! The new Crucial Ballistix Tracer Series features high-performance, low latency memory with integrated heat spreaders, two rows of red and green LEDs that indicate how hard the memory is working, and blue ground effects LEDs. For video, images, and complete product specs, visit www.crucial.com/gamer One lucky winner will be selected December 31, 2004. So what are you waiting for? Various News Items [Dec-27-04] (0 Comments) HEXUS.net Review: Aigo MP-P750 I-STAR D-400L 4U Rack Mount Server Chassis @ cluboc.net Asetek Antarctica Socket 775 @ Rbmods Ahanix D.Vine 4 @ overclockersonline.com BigBruin.Com Article: 5 Ways to Block Pop Ups @ bigbruin.com How to Backup Your Computer Files @ The Tech Zone Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 CPU Cooler @ techniz.co.uk Lineman.net Programming Month @ Lineman.net [Dec-23-04] (0 Comments) The Lineman.net guys have declared December 2004 to be programming month. For the occasion, we've written a series of articles introducing the reader to several programming languages including C, C++, Objective-C, Perl, Python, Java, BASIC, Io, and BASH scripting. Various News Items [Dec-23-04] (0 Comments) Razer Diamondback Gaming Mouse @ ocia.net Liutilities Wintask Pro 5 @ Rbmods MSI RX800SE-TD256 (ATi X800SE) Review @ 3DChip Sunbeam Lightbus @ 3dvelocity.com PC AirCon PAC 400 Review @ ocmodshop.com PimpRig Review // Enermax Noisetaker EG701AX-VE (W) SFMA V2.0 NZXT Nemesis Elite @ cluboverclocker.com Various News Items [Dec-22-04] (0 Comments) CaseBuy USB Vacuum @ HardwareHounds.com Enermax Coolergiant 430W Power Supply Unit @ techniz.co.uk Media Player Shootout @ The Tech Zone Windows XP Tweaking Companion @ TweakGuides.com Thermaltake Water Cooling Accessories Review @ overclockercafe.com Various News Items [Dec-21-04] (0 Comments) BFR Article: NForce4 SLI: Wise Upgrade Path? @ bonafidereviews.com Sunbeam Chameleon @ A True Review OCZ ModStream Power Supply Roundup @ CoolTechZone Jetart JACSH1 Video Cooling Kit @ cluboc.net Last Minute Techie Christmas Gift Guide @ The Tech Zone ATake Phantom Robot Meteor Light @ ThinkComputers.org OvisLink 54Mbps Wireless 4-port ADSL Modem Router @ techniz.co.uk Chaintech GeForce 6600GT 128MB AGP @ techniz.co.uk Twinhan DTV MagicBox and VisionDTV Mini Ter @ HEXUS.net [Dec-20-04] (0 Comments) Between the two products you've seen here, Twinhan have covered all their bases for anybody wanting a straightforward device enabling them to view terrestrial digital television on their PC. For laptop users or anyone on the move, you have the USB-based MagicBox, and for those only planning to use a single computer to feed their TV watching habits, then the PCI board will be the way to go. Sunbeam Tech LAN Party Bag @ BigBruin.Com [Dec-20-04] (0 Comments) The Sunbeam Tech LAN Party Bag could prove to be a handy accessory for anyone who frequents LAN parties, or otherwise needs to move their computer on a regular basis. It will accomodate cases in a wide range of sizes, including some fairly large ones, while also making room for a keyboard, mouse, and various other odds and ends. Koolance PC3-720SL Liquid System @ Viper Lair [Dec-20-04] (0 Comments) Overall, Koolance has a very impressive kit in the PC3-720 and is definitely worth considering if you're interested in an easy to use water-cooling setup. Performance is very good, and the case aesthetics are top notch in our opinion. Crucial Ballistix Tracer Giveaway @ LAN Addict [Dec-20-04] (0 Comments) WIN a 1GB kit of Crucial(R) Ballistix(TM) Tracer(TM) PC4000 memory simply by registering in our forums and sending an email - it's that easy! The new Crucial Ballistix Tracer Series features high-performance, low latency memory with integrated heat spreaders, two rows of red and green LEDs that indicate how hard the memory is working, and blue ground effects LEDs. For video, images, and complete product specs, visit www.crucial.com/gamer One lucky winner will be selected December 31, 2004. So what are you waiting for? Various News Items [Dec-20-04] (0 Comments) Corsair XMS Twinx1024-4400C25 1GB DC Kit @ InsaneTek Saitek Gamer's Keyboard Review @ CoolTechZone Shuttle CR40 DVD+RW DL 16x Burner @ cluboc.net NVIDIA PureVideo Technology - Can NVIDIA take back ground from ATI? @ pcper.com JACSH1 VGA Cooling Kit @ ThinkComputers.org Various News Items [Dec-20-04] (0 Comments) Second part of hardware guide @ POC AMD n-Bench V3.0 Special @ amdboard.com The ABC's and 123's of Firewalls & Ports @ BFR OvisLink 5-Port SOHO GigaBit Switch @ techniz.co.uk Hard Drive Crash? The Essential Data Recovery Report @ The Tech Zone PimpRig Caffeine Compendium @ PimpRig [Dec-18-04] (0 Comments) You know it, you love it, and if you are anything like me, you live by it. Caffeine is one of a geek's best friends and for good reason. I would venture to say that the majority of PC gamers out there have had their fair share of late night gaming sessions fueled by a number of Mountain Dews or, better yet, some Bawls. What some of you may not know is that there are a number of products on the market that packs caffeine into very easy to consume substances. Various News Items [Dec-18-04] (0 Comments) Logitech QuickCam Orbit Webcam Review @ The Tech Zone Apollo 6600GT PCI-E Review @ cluboverclocker.com Cooler Master Aquagate Liquid Cooling System Review @ OCTools.com Opti-UPS SM-B120A-RM 1100VA Rack Mount UPS Review @ BigBruin.Com HEXUS.net Preview: X850XT PE & Response from ATI ASUS V9999 Gamer Edition Review @ tcmagazine.info Vantec EZ SWAP 2 Removable Hard Disk Drive Rack @ techniz Sunbeam Lightbus @ A True Review Various News Items [Dec-16-04] (0 Comments) Thermaltake VA70000BWA "Shark" Aluminium Case @ 3dvelocity.com How Anti-Spyware Software Works @ The Tech Zone Vantec 11-in-1 mobile memory card reader review. @ a1-electronics.net ATI Optimized Driver 64bit V0.1 Beta @ tcmagazine.info HEXUS.net Review: Scan International's 3XS Cobra SLI Systems Win An Athlon FX based computer @ HEXUS.net Christmas Competition @ Raptor-mods.co.uk Various News Items [Dec-16-04] (0 Comments) News: Ultra Products UV Wizard @ overclockersonline.com HEXUS.net News: NVIDIA's GeForce 6200 with TurboCache Preview @ hexus.net HEXUS.net Feature: Taking SLI and X850 XT PE to Bloodline ABIT Woes: Financial Irregularities Under Investigation @ HEXUS Swiftech Mcw6002-64 waterblock @ Rbmods Aerocool Cool-Panel reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com Hardware Roadmaps For 2005 @ pcstats.com SunBeamTech LED Case Handle @ TechTastic.ca [Dec-14-04] (0 Comments) Today we take a look at a cool mod for your case that not only adds some lighting, but comes in handy when you're bringing your computer to a LAN party. We are speaking of course about SunBeamTech's LED Case Handles. LAN Addict Crucial Ballistix Tracer Giveaway! @ LAN Addict [Dec-14-04] (0 Comments) WIN a 1GB kit of Crucial(R) Ballistix(TM) Tracer(TM) PC4000 memory simply by registering in our forums and sending an email - it's that easy! The new Crucial Ballistix Tracer Series features high-performance, low latency memory with integrated heat spreaders, two rows of red and green LEDs that indicate how hard the memory is working, and blue ground effects LEDs. For video, images, and complete product specs, visit www.crucial.com/gamer One lucky winner will be selected December 31, 2004. So what are you waiting for? Various News Items [Dec-14-04] (0 Comments) NZXT Nemesis Elite Case @ OCIA.net Kingston HyperX PC2-5400 1GB Kit @ InsaneTek PimpRig Review // Ultra Products 600W Power Supply A Peek Into the Near Future of Electronics Technology @ The Tech Zone Latest Bios updates - Tuesday, December 14 - 47 in total! @ tcmagazine.info Sitecom USB 2.0 to VGA Adapter @ overclockers.com.au HEXUS.net Review: Soltek 8KAN2E-GR nForce3 250Gb S754 Motherboard More letters! @ dansdata.com Steelpad QcK+ @ ThinkComputers.org 10 Golden tips for secure online shopping @ tcmagazine.info Thermaltake Big Water 12cm Liquid Cooling System @ techniz.co.uk Jetart JACSH1 VGA Cooler Kit @ 3dvelocity.com Various News Items [Dec-13-04] (0 Comments) NVIDIA SLI Technology - the gaming leader? @ pcperspective.com Thermaltake Shark Full Tower Aluminum Case Series @ techniz.co.uk HEXUS.net Review: Hiper Type-R Series 480W Power Supply HEXUS.net Review: AVerMedia AVerTV USB 2.0 Plus Steelpad S&S Giveaway: A few days left! @ teamhardware.com Mountain Mods Twice7 Aluminum Case Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Various News Items [Dec-13-04] (0 Comments) 1GB PQI Intelligent Stick USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review @ The Tech Zone Nu 16x Dual layer DDW-163 dvd burner @ Rbmods Icybox IB-350U-B-BL enclosure review @ pyroport.com SwissBit 2 X 512MB PC4300 DDR2 @ techniz.co.uk Foxconn 925XE7AA-8EKRS2 Review @ cluboverclocker.com Forceware 66.93 VS Forceware 71.20 @ tcmagazine.info Various News Items [Dec-13-04] (0 Comments) Exclusive: Live Blogging in Longhorn @ tcmagazine.info Swiftech MCX775-V Heatsink Reviewed @ Hi-Techreviews.com NZXT Christmas Giveaway @ OCIA.net Sunbeam PCI Wherever Rack @ A True Review Sunbeam Wherever PCI Rack @ OCIA.net Memory Bandwidth vs. Latency Timings @ bonafidereviews.com Logisys Illuminated Keyboard @ ThinkComputers.org [Dec-12-04] (0 Comments) When it comes to gaming, I can think of nothing more exciting than packing my machine up and driving off to the nearest LAN-party. A basement filled with tables, assorted snack foods, tons of wire all snaking to the middle of the room where a superstack 2200 is precariously balanced on an old folding chair. Perhaps this isn't the typical environment you're used to, but if you do game with a lot of other people at once, their is a desire to be noticed, or to stand out. With little more than a tower, monitor, keyboard, and mouse, you don't have too much to work with, so you need to make it count. Fortunately, Logisys has stepped up and brought us an illuminated keyboard. There are few, if any, other modifications you can do to a keyboard other than making the whole thing glow. Without further ado, let me introduce the Logisys KB606BK. Sunbeam Tech Lanparty Bag @ A True Review [Dec-12-04] (0 Comments) What's the next best thing to an expensive small form factor PC at a LAN party? A Lanparty bag for your tower; that's what. Sunbeam Tech has stepped up to the plate with their LPB-R (red and black) and LPB-MU (camo) efforts. Let's take a look-see shall we? OCZ EL PC3200 Platinum Revision 2 Dual Channel Kit @ LAN Addict [Dec-12-04] (0 Comments) After the smoke has cleared and all the dust has settled, what do we have? Well, I think we have one very impressive PC3200 dual channel memory kit from OCZ! While it may need its timings loosened up a bit fairly quickly in the overclocking game, there is no denying that OCZ has a fantastic product here. About the only thing they could improve upon would be increasing the voltage they'll cover under warranty from 2.9V to 3.0V+. Ultra Products 600W ATX PSU (ULT31638) Review @ ap0calypse.com [Dec-11-04] (0 Comments) Imagine you’re designing your new dream system. You have it all planned out complete with two new PCI-E video cards running SLI. The one thing you forgot to plan on though was that those two new cards require 220W to power them alone and you’re currently running a 400W power supply. Ultra Products may have your solution. Already known for their award winning X-Connect line of power supplies, Ultra Products follows up with a brand new 600W power supply to deal with the power demand of today’s high end components. Let’s find out if this new power supply can live up to the reputation the X-Connect has already made for Ultra. Various News Items [Dec-10-04] (0 Comments) Half-Life 2 Enhancer 1.0 @ gameconnect.info Forceware 66.93 VS Forceware 66.97 @ tcmagazine.info XFX 6600GT 128Mb AGP 8x Video Card @ AMD Review One for the weekend @ dansdata.com SunBeamTech Chameleon LED Controller @ TechTastic.ca eVGA e-GeForce 6600 GT 128 MB DDR3 PCI-E Video Card w/ HDTV Support Video Review #515: @ 3dgameman.com Digital Camera White Balance Guide @ pcreview.co.uk [Dec-10-04] (0 Comments) The human eye has a remarkable ability to adjust to different light conditions. Not only do our eyes have built-in auto-focus system and auto-exposure capability, but we also have automatic colour balance built into our brains. A white object will appear white to us whether viewed in sunlight or under overcast skies, or indoors under incandescent or fluorescent lighting that is because the human brain has the capability to compensate for such changes in perceived colour. A very efficient system indeed! The digital camera's image sensor has the daunting task of emulating the human brain and therefore has to adjust colour so that the white appears white in all kinds of lighting conditions, be it fluorescent or tungsten indoors, on a cloudy day or in bright sunshine. Therefore ultimately it all boils down to "Colour Temperature" or what is generally known as "White Balance" in digital camera terminology. Various News Items [Dec-09-04] (0 Comments) Giveaway 16: ABIT RX600 Pro-Guru 256MB PCI-E Video Card @ 3dgameman.com Altec Lansing inMotion iM3 Portable Audio System @ TheTechLounge HEXUS.net Feature: HEXUS at Bloodline Vantec NexStar 2 5.25" External Drive Enclosures Video Review #514 @ 3dgameman.com Superpower XP03P Gaming Computer Case @ A True Review Vantec computer enhancing products review. @ a1-electronics.net The EXTREME Techie Christmas Gift Guide @ The Tech Zone OCZ Modstream 520w @ AuphanOnline.com Mushkin 1GB PC2-4200 Review @ ASE Labs Letters 135! @ dansdata.com Silverstone LC05 Mini-IXT Case reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com HEXUS.net Review: Mushkin 1GByte (2x512MB) Level-II PC3200 RAM @ hexus.net Malware and Capitalism @ Lineman.net [Dec-08-04] (0 Comments) Does it seem like viruses, trojans, worms, and all of their ugly cousins are released more frequently, spread more easily, and do damage even more severe with each passing month? It's not just you and there's an explanation for this trend. What may surprise you is that it has nothing to do with Microsoft. Various News Items [Dec-08-04] (0 Comments) Arctic Cooling NV5 Video Cooler @ cluboverclocker.com Logitech MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse Review @ The Tech Zone HEXUS.net Review: Far Cry MSI's nForce4 SLI board has Creative Audio onboard @ tbreak.com TCTools: Nvidia Optimized Driver V0.4 @ tcmagazine.info PimpRig Review // Koolance PC3-720 Professional Series Water-Cooling Case Various News Items [Dec-08-04] (0 Comments) BFR Article: What is page cloaking and should you use it? @ bonafidereviews.com Sapphire R9800Pro 128MB VGA Review @ overclockers.co.nz A4Tech's Easy Go Optical Mouse @ TechTastic.ca Steelpad QCK+ MousePad @ HardwareHounds.com Intel 925XE Chipset, D925XECV2 Motherboard, 3.46GHz EE (1066MHz FSB) CPU @ overclockers.com.au SilverSton SilverStone Temjin TJ05 @ InsaneTeke Temjin TJ05 @ InsaneTek Various News Items [Dec-06-04] (0 Comments) Spyshots of Abit's nForce4 and K8T890 boards @ t-break HEXUS.net Review: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (Winchester) USB Mouserate Switcher v0.1 @ tcmagazine.info News - Spire Verticool CPU Cooler @ techniz.co.uk Sunbeam Case and General Lighting Accessories @ 3dvelocity.com ABIT RX600 Pro-Guru 256MB PCI-E Video Card Video Review #513 @ 3dgameman.com Anydrive Car Mp3 FM Transmitter @ Rbmods Saitek PC Gaming Keyboard @ LAN Addict 2004 Holiday Gift Guide @ TheTechLounge Various News Items [Dec-06-04] (0 Comments) Waffer PC Aircon PAC 400 @ OCIA.net ATI Radeon X800 XT PCI-Express 256MB @ TheTechLounge Review of Altec Lansing inMotion Portable Sound System for Apple iPod @ bonafidereviews.com Gigabyte GA-8GPNXP Duo @ Envy News Ultra X-Connect 500W Modular Power Supply Review @ CoolTechZone Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC4000 Review @ ocmodshop.com Thermaltake HardCano 13 fan controller & 6-in-1 memory card reader review @ Danger Den TDX Socket 939 Review @ cluboverclocker.com Sunbeam Samurai ATX Case @ LAN Addict [Dec-05-04] (0 Comments) So, after having gone through all of this, what do I think of the Sunbeam Samurai case? Well, I certainly think you could do a lot worse than to buy this case. Yes, it has it's share of flaws, but I think that most of them are pretty minor. AC Ryan NutCase o' Connectx Contest - Guess and Win! @ AC Ryan [Dec-03-04] (0 Comments) AC Ryan teams up with GruntvillE.com and Mikhailtech.com to give you the last contest of 2004! When you think of AC Ryan, you think of connectors...and lots of them. We took our AC Ryan AcrylicCasing and filled it to the top with our own connectors - and its your job to tell us how many we used! First place winners will receive our new and powerful AC Ryan Ryanpower2 Power Supply! Thats not all!! AC Ryan has a bonus prize!! Our new LAN.Ranger - the ultimate gaming cable, will be sent to the person who guesses (or counts ;)) the correct amount of types of connectors we used to fill this case. Do you have enough fingers or abacuses to count these? Or are you going to take a wild guess? Drop in the forums and win win win! X-Micro WLAN 11g Router and PCMCIA Card @ A True Review [Dec-02-04] (0 Comments) Nowadays, it is not uncommon for a home to have more than one computer; whether it be multiple desktops or a laptop thrown in the mix. With multiple computers comes a need to network them. Network equipment has come along way since the relative low speeds of 10baseT Ethernet. These days network equipment is capable of amazing speeds, like the X-Micro 11g Router and PCMCIA card featuring 108 Mbit/s Super G Turbo Mode. On paper, 108 Mbit/s wireless looks great, but just how well will it really perform? Featured Story: Metalheart: Replicants Rampage @ gameconnect.info [Dec-02-04] (0 Comments) Captain Lanthan and his best friend 2nd pilot Cheris are forced to make a crash-landing on the surface of Protion after their cargo spaceship receives unrecoverable damage from asteroids. Here begins a journey full of danger and surprise. Their initial goal is quite clear: they must escape the hostile alien world where they are no more than doomed prisoners. But soon afterwards they start their wandering, Lanthan and Cheris find out that Protion possesses the only deposit of priceless mineral tactonium in the whole Galaxy. Various News Items [Dec-02-04] (0 Comments) Sunbeam Chameleon Light Controller @ 3dvelocity.com Vantec EZ Swap 2 Removable Hard Drive Rack @ hi-techreviews.com DFI LAN Party Pro875B Motherboard Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Verbatim Store 'n' Go Pro USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review @ thetechzone.com EverCool Ice Man AMD & Intel air cooled heatsink review. @ a1-electronics.net Foxconn 755FXK8AA-8EKRS Review @ cluboc.net Samsung Syncmaster 172X Display review @ pyroport.com Crucial Ballistix Tracer Giveaway @ LAN Addict [Dec-01-04] (0 Comments) WIN a 1GB kit of Crucial(R) Ballistix(TM) Tracer(TM) PC4000 memory simply by registering in our forums and sending an email - it's that easy! The new Crucial Ballistix Tracer Series features high-performance, low latency memory with integrated heat spreaders, two rows of red and green LEDs that indicate how hard the memory is working, and blue ground effects LEDs. For video, images, and complete product specs, visit www.crucial.com/gamer One lucky winner will be selected December 31, 2004. So what are you waiting for? Various News Items [Dec-01-04] (0 Comments) ATI's Radeon X850 XT PE Reviewed @ VR-Zone Hardware Cooler Master Cavalier 3 Mid-Tower Case @ TheTechLounge HEXUS.net Review: Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War Logitech MX900 Bluetooth Mouse Review @ thetechzone.com ASUS WL-330 Pocket Access Point Review @ pcstats.com Chill Innovation CP-510A 510W Power Supply Video Review #511 @ 3dgameman.com Gigabyte GA-8TRX330-L Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com Various News Items [Dec-01-04] (0 Comments) Gigabyte G-MAX N512 Centrino Laptop Review @ pcstats.com Raidmax Cobra Gaming Case @ hi-techreviews.com Dying for a Drag? @ 3dgameman.com Steelpad QCK + MousePad @ TechTastic.ca The Dark Side of P2P File Sharing @ The Tech Zone A First Look At Half-Life 2: Deathmatch @ ocmodshop.com ATI X850 XT Platinum Review @ t-break Medal of Honor Pacific Assault @ 3dvelocity.com [Nov-30-04] (0 Comments) Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault, or MOH:PA, takes place in the pacific at the start of World War II. Pearl Harbor is being bombed by kamikaze Japanese enemies and you as marine private Tommy Collins are in the middle of it. You’ve just finished your training and get stationed at Pearl Harbor, receiving a nice tour, when several Japanese planes fly over the island. Next thing you know, the harbor is bombed and everyone is on full alert. Various News Items [Nov-30-04] (0 Comments) Soltek SL-K8TPro-939 Motherboard Review @ pcstats Xraypads Aqua 3 and Thunder8 mousepads @ Rbmods Thermalright SI-97 Heatsink Review @ ap0calypse.com Thermaltake Shark VA7000BWA Aluminum Case Video Review #510 @ 3dgameman.com Scythe SCKK1000 Kama Cooler Heatsink Review @ frostytech.com Thermaltake PurePower 350W Fanless PSU Review @ BigBruin.Com BFR Article: How To Recognize If Your Computer Has A Virus Or Trojan On It Thermaltake Silent 775 Intel Pentium 4 LGA775 heatsink review. @ a1-electronics.net The Under $100 Christmas Gift Guide For Techies @ The Tech Zone Half-Life 2 PC Game Review @ AuphanOnline.com Letters 134! @ dansdata Sid Meier's Pirates @ hi-techreviews.com [Nov-29-04] (0 Comments) How would you like to go back to the 17th century and take command of Man-of-War and set sail to plunder anything that got in your way? With plenty of fighting to go around both on the sea and on land as well. With success there is a very high chance you will be promoted, gain respect and get the girl and of course there is always the gold. If you think you would be interested in this position then checkout the latest addition to Sid Meier's increasing list of knockout games. This time around it goes by the name of Pirates! LAN Guide @ HEXUS.net [Nov-29-04] (0 Comments) Ok, so you’ve booked your ticket and you’re already to go to your first commercial LAN. This is going to be a big event with more than the usual few mates that you’ve had at other LANs. There’s going to be far more to do, more to see and more to play than you’ve experienced before. It’s essential that you go well prepared or you’ll flake out after the first day so with this in mind, here’s a quick guide on how to survive. Mutant Mods Acrylic Mid Tower ATX Case Review @ LAN Addict [Nov-28-04] (0 Comments) Overall, I'm very pleased with this acrylic case and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a way to showcase their system. Various News Items [Nov-28-04] (0 Comments) Galaxy GeForce 6600 256 MB PCI Express @ overclockersonline.com BTC 6300 Ultra-Slim Multimedia Keyboard @ hi-techreviews.com Sunbeam Theme Thumb Screws @ A True Review X-Micro's Wireless Network Products @ ThinkComputers.org Evercool Ice Man Heat Pipe CPU Cooler @ techniz.co.uk HEXUS.net Bloodline Coverage: Interview with Nick Knupffer & The History of the CPL MSI nForce4 K8N Neo4 Review @ t-break Bloodline @ HEXUS.net [Nov-27-04] (0 Comments) The venue couldn’t be finer, being at Black Island Studios, the largest film and TV studios in central London… Bloodline is using the largest of them with 16,000 sq ft of space for gamers to battle out over an ultrafast LAN…. But how many PCs can you cram into that much space? 16,000 sq ft sounds a lot, but just how big is it? Well, Jolt reckon that’ll nicely seat 400 players. Yep, you read that right… 400! Various News Items [Nov-26-04] (0 Comments) Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9 @ TechTastic.ca SunBeamTech Samurai Case Review @ CoolTechZone Steelpad QcK+ Mouse Pad Review @ The Tech Zone Catalyst Driver Comparison (4.10 - 4.11 - 4.12) Medal of Honor Pacific Assault Review @ gameconnect.info Gainward's Fast As Hell Graphics Card @ HEXUS.net A Look At Half-Life 2 @ Steamed Turtle [Nov-25-04] (0 Comments) Back in November of 1998 a small company founded by Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington that was based in Kirkland, Washington put out their debut game entitled Half-Life. Half-Life went on to win over 50 Game Of The Year awards and was even credited "Best Game Ever" by some prestigious magazines. We've now been impatiently waiting for the arrival of Half-Life 2 (the sequel to HL) for five long years. Look on to read some of my thoughts on the game along with a bunch of really cool screen shots. X-Micro WLAN 802.11g Wireless Router @ hi-techreviews.com [Nov-24-04] (0 Comments) Having the ability to use your laptop anywhere in your home or office without the need for it to be tethered to a switch or hub with a piece of CAT5 cable is something that some of us can't live without now that we have tried it. One of the keys to having a reliable and trouble free wireless network whether it be at home or at your office is the choosing the right wireless router for your application. The router we are looking at today is the X-Micro WLAN 802.11g which offers a number of standard features but also offers something called 'Super G'. On paper X-Micro claims this router is capable of speeds up to 11 Mbps using 802.11b increasing up to 54 Mbps for 802.11g and an amazingly fast speed of 108 Mbps using Super G. But that's on paper, what will it do in the real world? MSI DR16-B Dual-Layer DVD Burner Review @ pcstats.com [Nov-24-04] (0 Comments) Conventional recordable DVD media stores data on a single 4.7GB plane (level) of the disc. On dual-layer DVD media, there are two recordable 'layers' which can both store up to 8.5GB of data. Today we're looking at MSI's new DR16-B dual-layer DVD burner. The DR16-B is capable of burning DVD+/-R media at a blistering 16x, DVD+/-RW at 4x and most importantly, dual-layer DVD media at 2.4x. Of course you can still burn conventional CD recordable media and the MSI DR16-B flies along at 40x for CD-R, and 24x for CD-RW. Various News Items [Nov-23-04] (0 Comments) The Ultimate Techie Christmas Gift Guide @ The Tech Zone Foxconn Heat Guzzler Athlon XP HSF @ ThinkComputers.org Fujitsu Seimens Pocket Loox 720 @ t-break Ethernet in, audio out @ dansdata.com HEXUS.net Review: NVIDIA's SLI - An Introduction! @ hexus.net BTC 4D Wireless Ergo Office Mouse Review BTC 9019URF Wireless Multimedia USB Keyboard Review @ techniz.co.uk Various News Items [Nov-23-04] (0 Comments) SilverStone Temjin SST-TJ06 Case Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM PimpRig Review // MonsterGecko PistolMouse FPS Ultra Products Mini External HD Enclosure @ InsaneTek Gigabyte GV-RX30128D X300 PCI-E VGA Review @ overclockers.co.nz Verbatim Store 'n' Go Pro USB Drive Review @ CoolTechZone ATI Mobility X800 and X300 GPUs @ pcperspective.com Various News Items [Nov-23-04] (0 Comments) Gigabyte PCU22-SE 3D Rocket Cooler Heatsink @ frostytech.com Coolermaster Hyper48 @ Rbmods The Chronicles of Riddick Unrated Director's Cut Review @ AuphanOnline.com Asus eXtreme EAX600XT Videocard Review @ pcstats.com Thermaltake Silent PurePower - TWV480 Power Supply Video Review #507 @ 3dgameman.com DFI LANPARTY UT nF3 250Gb Motherboard @ 3dvelocity.com Various News Items [Nov-22-04] (0 Comments) PimpRig GiveAway // What is Modding? Win a retail copy of Win XP or Half-Life 2. LIUtilities WinTask 5 Professional @ A True Review HEXUS.net Review: Half Life 2! Sapphire 9600 XT, remember that Half-Life 2 voucher? @ teamhardware.com Vantec SATA EZ-Swap Removable Hard Drive Rack @ techniz.co.uk Gigabyte Radeon X800 Pro @ InsaneTek Altec Lansing AHP712 Headphones w/ Active Noise Reduction @ TheTechLounge Akasa integral Series Review @ techniz.co.uk Corsair TwinX1024 PC4400 CAS 2.5 (Review) @ ipkonfig.com Thermaltake BigWater Liquid Cooling System Review @ The Tech Zone HEXUS.net Review: NVIDIA's SLI - An Introduction Asante FR1104-G Wireless Router reviewed @ Hi-Techreviews.com [Nov-21-04] (0 Comments) At first glance most wireless router seem to be about the same, that is until you have a chance to look at how many different setting there are available to configure. If you were basing the quality of a product on the shear number of options the Asante FR1104-G would outclass most other wireless router hands down. With over 20+ screens from which to configure your wireless network you are insured the maximum security when teamed with a good firewall package. Thankfully the massive number of options does not make for a complicated setup procedure either, with the built in network wizard the total time to setup the system takes less than 3 minutes. Altec Lansing AHS602 Headset @ Aftermath [Nov-19-04] (0 Comments) Being an avid gamer my need for a decent mic & headphone set are essential. A few days ago we reviewed Altec Lansing's latest submission to the gaming world, The AHP712 headset. It gave brilliant performance, and sound quality that id been missing out on. More letters! @ Dansdata [Nov-18-04] (0 Comments) In this issue, the curse of ACPI, case metal choices, focus theft prevention, leech-only LANning, electrostatic filth, PCI via USB, and hacking pieces off motherboards. Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell Giveaway @ LAN Addict [Nov-14-04] (0 Comments) LAN Addict and DreamCatcher Interactive are teaming up to provide a copy of the hotly anticipated Painkiller expansion to one lucky person! This giveaway will run from November 8, 2004 until Midnight, CST, November 22, 2004. To enter, simply send an email with your name, mailing address (no PO boxes), age, and phone number to booh.contest@lanaddict.com with Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell as the subject. That's it! Altec Lansing AHP712 Headset @ Aftermath [Nov-14-04] (0 Comments) The lastest PC games hitting the shelves are causing us to upgrade our main components to keep up with the major graphical changes, but to fully apreciate the quality of these new games we are also having to upgrade our audio devices. Without a decent set of headphones you could be caught in a tricky 1v1 battle - and end up losing because of poor sound quality. This is where Altec Lansing step in to lend a helping hand. Various News Items [Nov-12-04] (0 Comments) Cooler Master Cavalier 1 CAV-T01 @ overclockersonline.com Review of PLEXTOR External 12x4x16 PX-712UF DVD Writer @ bonafidereviews.com ATI Radeon Xpress 200 @ t-break Traxdata Media full Presentation @ CDRinfo.com HEXUS.net Review: Akasa's Eclipse 62 Waffer PC AirCon PAC 400 System Cooler @ OCTools.com ECS 755-A2 Socket 754 Motherobard @ pcperspective.com Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-9 nForce4 Ultra Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com NFSU 2 Review with 8 in-game movies and updated benchmark results! @ gameconnect.info Sky Hawk IMC-6371 Mini Barebone System Video Review #503: @ 3dgameman Various News Items [Nov-12-04] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing inMotion OYOYO Headphones @ A True Review Downloading Anime: Is it legal? Article @ AuphanOnline.com 3 articles + 2 spyware removal guides High-End Buyer’s Guide @ TheTechLounge Adware, Spyware and Monitoring Software - What's What? @ The Tech Zone WinTasks 5.0 Pro Review @ cluboverclocker.com PCI Express Reference Guide (Updated) @ Digital Silence Various News Items [Nov-12-04] (0 Comments) 8Com digital bluetooth headset @ Rbmods Beginners Guides: USB Memory Drive Projects & Tips @ pcstats.com Making Your Own Window Appliqué @ ocmodshop.com Beginners Guide To OverClocking @ OCIA.net Thermaltake Big Water 12cm Liquid Cooling System Review @ BigBruin.Com Samsung SyncMaster 710N LCD Monitor @ TechTastic.ca Altec Lansing AHS-602 Headset Review @ The Tech Zone [Nov-11-04] (0 Comments) SRS Headphone technology is an audio enhancement technology that provides a realistic and spacious listening experience through standard headphones. Based on the same psychoacoustic research as the patented, Sound Retrieval System (SRS) and further refined for use with headphones. This technology uses the spatial information from recordings to restore the original three-dimensional sound field. This process repositions the sound from inside the listener’s head to outside the listener’s ears, creating a more natural listening experience without relying on special recording techniques or manipulation of the audio signal. Our 1st mods to the Speeze AtlanticWave cooling system. @ a1-electronics.net [Nov-11-04] (0 Comments) Many of you know the Asetek WaterChill system and have very likely seen ours and other web site reviews of it which is why we have included our earlier test results here with our modified Speeze AtlanticWave because it runs of mains voltage unlike the Titan & Aquarius III which use 12volt or 6v water pumps. It is not comparing like with like. XG Vigor 500 Power Supply Review @ LAN Addict [Nov-10-04] (0 Comments) Well, from this we can see little variation in the voltage readings; the Vigor 500 is holding its ground when it comes to supplying the right voltage constantly. I tested this while running Sandra 2004 Pro, 3d Mark 2005, and all cam within 0.01v of what we have above. Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell Giveaway @ LAN Addict [Nov-08-04] (0 Comments) LAN Addict and DreamCatcher Interactive are teaming up to provide a copy of the hotly anticipated Painkiller expansion to one lucky person! This giveaway will run from November 8, 2004 until Midnight, CST, November 22, 2004. To enter, simply send an email with your name, mailing address (no PO boxes), age, and phone number to booh.contest@lanaddict.com with Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell as the subject. That's it! Halo 2 (XBox) Review @ gameconnect.info [Nov-08-04] (0 Comments) When I bought my Xbox a couple of years ago, my first game was Halo. I didn’t know much about it but it had some good reviews. On the first level (Pillar of Autumn), I had to get used to the controller and it didn’t go very well, and I didn’t like the game very much at all, so I went back to my PC. The day after I thought: ‘I paid for this game. I have to play it’. I put in the game disk again, and got started on the ‘Halo’ level. I got out of the escape pod, and was actually amazed by the enviroment. It wasn’t some dull spaceship but a big open enviroment with little streams and big waterfalls, though I didn’t have much time to take a good look, as covenant forces were on their way. I ran ahead shooting at some covenant troops, and suddenly I heard human weapons gunfire. Around the corner there was a squad of marines fighting off the alien bad guys. I helped them out and they started to explain that there were more escape pods crashed in the region. Before I knew it a plane flew by and dropped a warthog (an all terrain futuristic jeep). I climbed in the driver’s seat, and a marine came to sit next to me, and another climbed behind the gun emplacement in the back. Then I drove off and ended up participating in a huge adventure. Various News Items [Nov-08-04] (0 Comments) ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 Chipset Preview @ pcperspective.com Chaintech GeForce 6600GT 128MB PCI-Express @ echniz.co.uk Overclocking AMD Athlon64 FAQs 101 @ insanetek.com Shade PC Game Review @ Auphan Online Letters 130 @ dansdata.com 2004 SEAM Show Coverage @ The Tech Zone 15 Latest Virus/Worm Removal Tools @ tcmagazine.info Corsair XMS4400 CAS2.5 Review @ overclockercafe.com> Preview: Nvidia Geforce Go 6800 Mobile GPU @ hardavenue.com Various News Items [Nov-08-04] (0 Comments) InsaneTek Wallpaper Contest @ insanetek.com 6 new ad/spyware removal guides Al Tech Anydrive FM Transmitter @ MHW Zephyrus Automatic System Controller Review at Short-Media.com Review: MSI's RX800 XTs @ HEXUS.net FSP Silent Solution Kit review @ Techniz Silentmaxx HD-Silencer Rev 2.0 review @ Techniz Ultra X-Connect 500W ATX Power Supply Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Server Upgrade Article @ OCAU Super Talent DDR433 Low Latency Budget RAM @ PimpRig Review of Gish(game) @ bonafidereviews.com Chaintech Apogee AA6800 Video Card Review @ CoolTechZone Logisys UV Reactive Molex Sleeve Kit @ LAN Addict [Nov-06-04] (0 Comments) First off, five feet is about half of what should be included if you want to get all of he PSU wiring sleeved. A tiny bit of research, such as using a tape measure on some power supply wiring, would have led someone to this conclusion long before the product was finalized for release. Also, the half-inch sleeving would be great for the ATX connector, but it is a bit large for the other leads. Maybe Logisys could include about five feet of some three-eighths-inch sleeving for the other leads in the next version. Also, some heatshrink tubing for connecting the sleeving to the power supply wiring and keeping the sleeving from unraveling would be a great touch! Pacific Fighters PC Game Review @ Auphan Online [Nov-06-04] (0 Comments) In Pacific Fighters, players will be involved in engaging dogfights over land and ocean with aircraft of American, British, Japanese, and other nationalities. Missions include sinking a key enemy aircraft carrier with bombs in a dive bomber, attacking a harbor defended by anti-aircraft guns in a Japanese Zero, or strafing and destroying an enemy airbase with rockets mounted on a P-38 Lightning. News 2004-11-05 - WLAN 11g Router + PCI Card @ Swemod [Nov-05-04] (0 Comments) Today we’re going to have a look at two wireless products from X-Micro. X-Micro were kind enough to send me a WLAN 11g Turbo Router and a WLAN 11g Turbo PCI Card. The turbo mode means that when this is used the products can run in up to 108Mbps wireless. Great speed without wires, but does it work all the time? We’ll take a look on that in our review. Various News Items [Nov-05-04] (0 Comments) The Quickest Guide to AMD Processors...Ever @ short-media.com Chaintech Zenith VE 915P Review @ overclockercafe.com JetAudio iAudio U2 MP3 Player @ TheTechLounge Review: ASUS WL-HDD 2.5 @ hardavenue.com Zensonic Z710 Wireless Headphones @ overclockers.com.au FlatOut Demo Available @ gameconnect.info Ultra Dual Channel 1024MB PC3200 DDR Memory Review @ BigBruin.Com 15 Freeware Anti-Spam Software @ tcmagazine.info Latest Bios updates - Friday, November 5 - 48 in total! @ tcmagazine.info Travel Easy Cable Bag, review on OCAU @ overclockers.com.au HEXUS.net Review: ABIT Radeon 9600 XT 256MB HEXUS.net Review: ASUS P4S800D-E Deluxe Special Edition Video Review #500 @ 3dgameman.com AtlanticWave water cooled system review. @ a1-electronics.net [Nov-04-04] (0 Comments) Straight off the bat we have to say that we are very impressed with the design of this Speeze AtlanticWave system because it uses mains voltage to drive a small yet more than powerful enough water pump and it is automatically controlled so that it switches on and off with your computer so getting rid of that problem on some mains voltage systems. Various News Items [Nov-03-04] (0 Comments) PimpRig Review // mnpctech's Tsunami Ultra Quiet Custom Case Ultra 256 MB 8-in-1 MP3 Player @ OCIA.net Xtrac Mouse Grips @ HardwareHounds.com RaidMax RX-520XPW Review @ overclockersonline.com DFI LANParty UT nF3 250Gb Motherboard Review @ overclockers.co.nz Altec Lansing MX5020 Speakers Review @ CoolTechZone Plextor PX-712UF External DVD Writer Review @ CoolTechZone Corsair 4GB PC3200XL Memory Giveaway! @ CoolTechZone Logitech LX-501 Cordless Desktop Review @ cluboverclocker.com Sapphire Radeon X800XT PCI Express Reviewed @ VR-Zone Hardware 15 latest (freeware)firewall updates! @ tcmagazine.info GameConnect visits: GTR – FIA GT Racing Game VIP Event @ gameconnect.info HEXUS.net Review: ASUS K8N-E Deluxe Thermaltake VA3000SWA Tsunami Dream Aluminium Case @ 3dvelocity.com SilverStone TJ06 Case Video Review #499 @ 3dgameman.com Radian Heatsink Turbo Helix Heatsink Review @ Hi-techreviews.com LAN Pirates Buccaneer M+ Notebook @ Spodes Abode [Nov-02-04] (0 Comments) LAN Pirates are a very new name on the UK scene, being an off-shoot of NS Optimum who mainly provide computers for schools, so they aren't alien to the world of system building. LAN Pirates themselves now offer a selection of performance PC's and notebooks, aimed to cater for the enthusiast in all of us. In today's market, enthusiast generally translates as high performance and an equally high price. This laptop is no different. RaidMax Cobra Gaming Case @ Viper Lair [Nov-02-04] (0 Comments) Cooling is very well done, but we think they could have substituted the sheer number of 80mm fan options with fewer larger fans. While the cooling is efficient, it is noisy if you plan on using all the available fan mounts. Granted, given the Cobra case is aimed at gamers, the noise will probably not be much of an issue. Various News Items [Nov-02-04] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing MX5020 2.0 Speaker System Video Review #498 @ 3dgameman.com Mid-Range Buyer’s Guide @ TheTechLounge Mushkin 1GB PC2-4200 DDR-2 Memory Review @ pcstats.com Exclusive: Gigabyte GA-8TRX330-L motherboard review @ OCModShop Logitech MX-1000 Cordless Laser Mouse @ 3dvelocity.com ATI Silencer 1 Review @ ap0calypse.com Samsung SCD 105 Digital Camcorder @ TechTastic.ca Review of Tomcat i915 (S5120) Motherboard @ bonafidereviews.com The Art Of Cable Folding @ The Tech Zone EverCool VGA Heat Pipe Universal ATI & Nvidia heatsinks review. @ a1-electronics.net Spyware/Adware Prevention and Removal Guide at Auphan Online @ PimpRig Review // Thermaltake Tsunami Dream Case w/Window HEXUS.net Review: Corsair 1GByte DDR2 Twin2X Matched Memory Pair Sunday News [Nov-01-04] (0 Comments) Jetart NP3000 and NP5000 Notebook Coolers @ 3dvelocity.com VisionTek Xtreme 2 Go Drive @ overclockersonline.com Thermalright XP-120 Heatsink @ OCIA.net Intel P4 EE 3.46GHz& 925XE Overview @ Viper Lair Bluetake HI-PHONO BT460EX Bluetooth Hi-Fi Audio Station Review @ CoolTechZone Intel's 3.46Ghz Extreme Edition 1066Mhz FSB Processor & D925XE Chipset Review @ Tweaknews.net Mushkin High Perf PC3200 L2V2 Review @ GruntvillE.com DFI LANParty 875P-T Motherboard Review @ cluboverclocker.com [Oct-31-04] (0 Comments) DFI has really made a name for themselves in the enthusiast market. A few years ago DFI was an unknown to most of us. The LANParty and Infinity series boards have really put this company on the market as a major player in performance boards. It's great to see a manufacturer cater to the needs of the overclocker and gamer. Other boards offer overclocking and some are very good at it, but DFI takes it up a notch by including some really kewl features just for us geeks that go to LAN parties Be the Media Center of attention @ Bit Tech [Oct-29-04] (0 Comments) This week, Microsoft launched Media Center 05 here in the UK. Microsoft still wants you to buy a whole new PC to get Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, but you don't necessarily have to anymore - James Morris has the low-down on the self-build MCE PC for this weeks column on bit-tech. Quote: "In a way, Microsoft is trying to have its cake and eat it. The company wants the ‘even your gran can use it’ appeal of a CE device (although some VCRs are still less user friendly than a PC). But it also wants to keep the extensibility and general-purpose functionality of an IBM compatible. A few bad user experiences could be the kiss of death for this balancing act. This is why the company has so far frowned upon Windows XP MCE being an end-user install. Various News Items [Oct-29-04] (0 Comments) Microsoft Says Sorry! @ gameconnect.info SilverStone NT01 Passive/Active CPU Cooler @ 3dvelocity.com Software Piracy & What It Means To You @ The Tech Zone Latest Bios updates - Friday, October 29 - 41 in total! @ tcmagazine.info BIOSTAR K8NHA Grand nForce3 250Gb @ HEXUS News: Cooler Master Hyper 48 Multiplatform Cooler Reviewed @ MetkuMods Review: ATI's TV Wonder USB 2.0 @ HEXUS.net Feature: ACON Fatal1ty Great Wall Shootout @ HEXUS.net Gigabyte GA-8TRS350MT Motherboard Review at Short-Media.com PimpRig Contest // PimpRig Pumpkin Carving Contest - Win a UV X-Connect PSU! - Update Thermalright XP-120 Heatsink Review @ pcperspective.com Microsoft Refuses to Deliver Halo 2 LE to GCShop @ gameconnect.info [Oct-28-04] (0 Comments) Today we learn from GCShop, located in the Netherlands, that they can’t deliver the Limited Edition of Halo 2 to their customers. All due to Microsoft who didn’t deliver the limited edition as promised. We think this is rediculous and we made a story about it with inside information from GCShop and Xboxworld.nl. Various News Items [Oct-28-04] (0 Comments) Vantec EZ Swap Removable SATA Hard Drive Rack Video Review #496 @ 3dGameMan.com Simple Dual Channel PC3200 1GB Kit @ AMDReview.com 2006 HUMMER H3 Preview @ The Tech Zone Inno3D GeForce 6600 @ 3dvelocity.com X-Micro EVA 256Mb MP3 Player @ ThinkComputers.org PowerColor Radeon X800 Pro VIVO Review @ InsaneTek Mushkin LII-V2 1024MB PC3200 (Review) @ ipkonfig.com PimpRig Review // Corsair XMS2 5400 Pro DDR2 RAM Shuttle SN95G5 Reviewed @ VR-Zone Hardware Sony LocationFree TV LF-X1 Review @ auphanonline.com Computers in spaaaaace! @ dansdata.com Raidmax Samurai ATX Gaming Case Review @ BigBruin.Com PimpRig Daily Disturbance // Forum-Flaming Etiquette Modding stuff giveaway @ Rbmods PQI Turbo PQI25400-1GDB DDR-2 Memory Review @ pcstats.com Danger Den Maze4 GPU Waterblock review @ ocmodshop.com Various News Items [Oct-27-04] (0 Comments) XtremeFiles F1 80GB backup Review @ cluboverclocker.com VisionTek XTASY X800XT Review @ cluboverclocker.com CoolForce 2 VGA Cooler @ HardwareHounds.com Gigabyte 6800 Video Card Review @ CoolTechZone What Is a Cookie & Should I Accept or Reject It @ The Tech Zone Thermaltake Hardcano 13 review @ overclockercafe.com Enermax Noisetaker EG475P-VE SFMA 2.0 470W PSU Review @ BigBruin.Com Msn Messenger 6 - Windows X 7.2.137 Refresh @ tcmagazine.info Abit KV8 Pro Motherboard Review @ pcperspective.com Various News Items [Oct-26-04] (0 Comments) Forceware 70.41 Download @ tcmagazine.info nForce4 Special @ amdboard.com Pentium4 at 1066MHz System Bus @ tbreak.com Cooler Master Real Power 450W @ InsaneTek Altec Lansing XA2021 2.1 Speaker System Video Review #495 @ 3dgameman.com News - SilverStone SST-TJ06 Temjin 6 @ overclockersonline.com JetArt XCool NP5000 Notebook Cooler @ overclockers.com.au PCI-Express: First looks and the future @ ocmodshop.com Logitech X-620 Speakers @ My Guy Games Western Digital WD360 36GB SATA Hard Drive Review @ The Tech Zone Latest Antivirus and Spyware Tools Roundup (10-26-2004) @ tcmagazine.info HEXUS.net Preview: ATI's Radeon X700 XT and Radeon X700 PRO Xtrac Ripper XL Mouse Pad @ TechTastic.ca SilverStone Timjin 5 Case Review @ OCIA.net Corsair TWIN2X1024-5400C4PRO @ Rbmods Founder of APUs Hardware and Icrontic, Keith “Mortin” Whitsitt, taken off life support. @ short-media.com [Oct-25-04] (0 Comments) The founder of Icrontic.com, formerly APUs Hardware, lies in a Gainesville, FL hospital. At last report Keith "Mortin" Whitsitt is in a coma suffering massive brain damage resulting from a gunshot wound. The family has taken their son off life support and arrangements have been made. Memorial services have been planned for Wednesday October 27, 2004. Keith Whitsitt started Icrontic.com during high school and it soon grew to be one of the web’s premier PC enthusiast sites. Keith is well renowned for his XBOX hacking articles and outrageous “ghetto” hardware stunts. Icrontic.com fell victim to a hacker attack in 2003 and soon after Keith sold the site but continued to give to the PC community he loved so much in the form of financial and hardware donations to the Short-Media-Icrontic folding at home team. Keith “Mortin” Whitsitt made people laugh. He made them think. He made them mad. Most of all he gave so many of us a digital home. We have a place in our forums where those who knew Mortin can stop by and have a read or leave a memory or start one of your own. 2 new ad/spyware removal guides @ I Am Not A Geek [Oct-22-04] (0 Comments) Ibis Toolbar Removal Second Thought Removal Various News Items [Oct-22-04] (0 Comments) Interview: Danny Lee - XGI @ accelenation.com X-Micro Combo Bluetooth Print Adapter @ TechTastic.ca Crucial Ballistix and Kingston HyperX PC3200 Low-Latency Memory Review @ CoolTechZone DVD2XViD 2.0: The ultimate guide at Short-Media.com Alpine KCA-420i iPod Adapter Review @ The Tech Zone Cooler Master Stacker case review @ ocmodshop.com It's SnitchCam time! @ dansdata.com MSI Radeon RX800XT-VTD256E Videocard Review @ pcstats.com Gigabyte 3D Rocket Cooler-Pro @ pcperspective.com Thermaltake TrueLight Memory Heat Spreader @ A True Review Aspire 500 Watt PSU Review @ OCIA.net OCZ DDR Booster Diagnostic Device Video Review #494 @ 3dgameman.com Various News Items [Oct-21-04] (0 Comments) OCZ DDR2 PC2-5400 Performance Series Memory Video Review #493 @ 3dgameman.com Asus AX800XT/TVD Videocard Review @ pcstats.com SilverStone TJ04 case review @ OCModShop Corsair TwinX 1024 PC3200XL Low Latency Memory Review @ BigBruin.Com Review of Logitech diNovo Media Desktop @ bonafidereviews.com PowerColor R9800 Platinum Edition 128MB VGA Review @ overclockers.co.nz Asus K8N-E Deluxe Review @ cluboverclocker.com Fortron Blue Storm FSP400-60THN-R Power Supply Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Bloodrayne 2 review @ gameconnect.info America's Army Tweak Guide Updated @ TweakGuides.com D-Link Gigabit and Wireless Network Review @ GruntVillE [Oct-20-04] (0 Comments) This is the brains of the network. It offers all of the connectivity from WAN to LAN after the modem. For some, the router is the one and only piece you will need for a home network. It will allow you to share your network connection and provide a little security by using NAT, Network Address Translation. NAT is a network standard that allows a Local Area Network (LAN) to use one set of IP addresses for internal traffic while allowing a second set of IPs or IP to be used as the external or Public IP. The router interprets or translates the IPs to allow the internal IPs access to the internet. Various News Items [Oct-20-04] (0 Comments) News - Logitech Z-3 @ overclockersonline.com PimpRig Contest // PimpRig Pumpkin Carving Contest - Win a UV X-Connect PSU! Athlon 64 FX-55 and 4000+ Reviewed @ pcperspective.com AMD Athlon 64 4000+ Reviewed @ VR-Zone Hardware Firewire/USB 2.5" HDD Enclosure Review @ pyroport.com Latest Antivirus and Spyware Tools Roundup @ tcmagazine.info Athlon 64 FX-55 / Athlon 64 4000+ @ AMD Review HEXUS.net Review: AMD's Athlon 64 FX-55 and Model 4000+ CPUs @ hexus.net AMD Socket 939 4000+ and FX55 Review @ Techware Labs Ultra 4 in 1 USB 128MB Drive/MP3 Player Giveaway @ ap0calypse.com HEXUS.net Review: NVIDIA's nForce 4 Monolith MX-7010 Mp3 player @ Rbmods PolarFLO TT Series Waterblock @ MHW SilverStone Temjin TJ02 Case @ 3dvelocity.com Xtreme Files F1-B Computer Backup @ A True Review Altec Lansing AHS-502 Review at Auphan Online @ auphanonline.com [Oct-18-04] (0 Comments) When it comes to competitive gaming, any serious gamer can tell you that speakers just don't cut it. Nowadays with sophisticated game engines and EAX integrated sound, players without a good set of headphones can find it difficult to take advantage of rich in-game audio. Having the right set of headphones can mean the difference between accurately hearing your opponent's footsteps and walking into a trap. Various News Items [Oct-18-04] (0 Comments) Test of pre-production model of a GeForce 6800 LE card from Leadtek @ 3DChip Review of Toshiba PDR-M70 3.3 MP Digital Camera @ bonafidereviews.com Aspire X-Navigator @ Envy News Etymotic High-End Earphones Roundup - ER-6i, ER-4P, and ER-4S Models @ CoolTechZone Jetart AK-1000 Water Cooling System @ cluboverclocker.com ABIT AA8 DuraMAX - LGA 775 Motherboard Review @ cluboverclocker.com TRIBES Vengeance Review @ My Guy Games Interview with Marketing Manager Danny Lee from XGI! @ tcmagazine.info Raidmax Cobra 822 ATX Case Review @ BigBruin.Com AMD Athlon64 - 64-bit vs. 32-bit, A Head On Comparison @ pcstats.com OCZ PC4000EL Gold Edition review @ ocmodshop.com OCZ PowerStream 520 Power Supply @ 3dvelocity.com OCZ DDR PC-3700 Gold Revision 3 Memory Video Review #492 @ 3dgameman.com Various News Items [Oct-17-04] (0 Comments) HKC 17" Flat CRT Monitor @ A True Review XG Viper Mid Tower Case @ CI Dangerden Maze4-1gpu @ Rbmods Spode's Abode: How To Make a PCI Express Power Connector Captain Herlock Volume 2: Tendrils Of Fear Anime DVD Review @ Ascully.com News - Ultra Mini Portable Hard Drive Enclosure Reviewed @ overclockersonline.com Article at Short-Media.com: Does Service Pack 2 slow you down? BT500 Bluetooth Mouse@ Aftermath Reviews Exclusive: Welcome Back Gateway! @ amdboard.com AMD Sempron 2800+ , Sempron 3100+ and Intel Celeron D 335 @ HEXUS.net Various News Items [Oct-15-04] (0 Comments) T-Balancer Temperature and Noise Balancer Review @ ocia.net I-Rocks KR6810 X-Slim EL Keyboard Review @ BigBruin.Com Thermalright XP-90 Review @ insanetek.com Samsung HLN617W 61" DLP Television Review @ pcstats.com Coolmax Xtreme Files F1-B @ TechTastic.ca Chenbro Xpider II @ Envy News Steelpad Steel Grip @ HardwareHounds.com 10 Tips To Safe Online Shopping @ thetechzone.com Contest @ Overclockers Online Asus K8N-E Deluxe nF3 250 Gb Review @ pcperspective.com Forceware Drivers Compared @ tcmagazine.info Raidmax 520w RX-520XP Titanium PSU review @ ocmodshop.com Review: Samsung Multifunction Device @ accelenation.com Gigabyte GA-8GPNXP Duo 915P Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Oct-14-04] (0 Comments) The Gigabyte GA-8GPNXP Duo will support up to 4GB of DDR-2 or DDR memory (though not at the same time); which is one the nicer features of the 915P chipset.There are two sockets for DDR-2 RAM, and four sockets for DDR RAM. Onboard components consists of an IDE RAID controller, IEEE 1394b fireware, four SATA channels, three PCI x1 slots, 7.1 channel Intel 'High Definition Audio', a PCI Express based Broadcom 5751 Gigabit NIC, a second PCI-based Gigabit Marvel NIC, an 802.11G wireless LAN card, and twin BIOS'. The software bundle includes all the typical fodder, including a copy of Norton Internet Security 2004. Powercolor 9100IGP Pro RS350 Review @ PC Unleash [Oct-13-04] (0 Comments) The new RS350 which is the enhanced version of RS300 is an ambitious move for ATI. ATI claims that the chip has been well revised and that many of the problems that existed with the older RS300 have been solved. They also have made the claim that the new RS350 will run much better with the Intel’s Prescott CPUs, suggesting that the RS350 has been optimized for the most current technology. At a glance, Powercolor’s RS350 has definitely added some eye catching features. So with no further ado, let us introduce the first motherboard to have been produced by Powercolor.. Various News Items [Oct-13-04] (0 Comments) Swiftech H20-120 Water Cooling Kit @ Envy News Soltek K8AN2E-GR nForce 3 250GB Motherboard Review @ overclockers.co.nz Building The Ultimate LAN Party Computer @ The Tech Zone Review of Fable @ bonafidereviews.com Etymotic ER-6 Isolator Earphones Review @ CoolTechZone Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 Review @ My Guy Games GlobalWin Jefi Water Cooling "Aquarium" @ A True Review FSP Group's Cooling kit @ PyroPort.com Toshiba Pocket PC e400 Review @ HardExtreme.org 2 Days Left in OCIA.net's CoolerMaster Giveaway HEXUS.net Review: GeCube Radeon X800 PRO Abit AA8-3rd Eye motherboard review @ ocmodshop.com WinXP Media Center 2005 Presentation review @ tcmagazine.info Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude @ gameconnect.info Thermaltake Fanless103 @ Rbmods Raidmax RX-520XPW 520W Power Supply Video Review #490 @ 3dgameman.com Epox EP-5EGA+ 915G Motherboard Review @pcstats.com DFI LANParty 875P-T Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com [Oct-12-04] (0 Comments) DFI's LANParty 875P-T is a very interesting motherboard, and one of only a few in its class. It allows users to upgrade to a Socket 775 Intel Pentium4 processor, while at the same time allowing them to keep all of their old hardware since. This is possible because the DFI LanParty 875P-T is based on the Intel i875P chipset. Of course, this also means that there is no PCI Express x16 or DDR-2 RAM support. However, with the imminent replacement of the 925X by the 925XE, and little in the way of high end PCI Express videocards to choose from, the DFI 875P-T is a good alternative right now. Various News Items [Oct-12-04] (0 Comments) DangerDen TDX @ overclockersonline.com Jetart JAP416A CPU Cooler @ 3dvelocity.com Wireless A/V Spycam Review @ OCIA.net Asetek WaterChill Power Kit Water Cooling Review @ BigBruin.Com Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude PC Review @ My Guy Games Topram 1GB SD Card Review @ hardextreme.org MSI K8T Neo2 FIR AMD Athlon 63 939 motherboard review. @ a1-electronics.net Apple iPod Mini Review @ The Tech Zone Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Review @ gameconnect.info HEXUS.net Review: BFG GeForce 6800 Ultra Overclocked Albatron PCX5750 review @ ocmodshop.com DFI & MSI 925X motherboard head-to-head @ Bit Tech [Oct-11-04] (0 Comments) We have a look at two 925X boards for the Intel LGA775 platform: DFI's LANParty 925X-T2 and MSI's 925X Neo Platinum-54G. Various News Items [Oct-11-04] (0 Comments) World Premiere! Abit SV-1A Socket 939 motherboard with PCI-X and integrated ATI Rage XL Graphics @ amdboard.com PimpRig Review // VL System LIS 2 Premium VFD Mushkin PC3200 V2 Enhanced Latency DDR Review @ overclockercafe.com CS: Source Review @ My Guy Games D-Link Home Networking Soltuion @ MHW Corsair TWIN2X1024-5400C4PRO review @ ocmodshop.com SimpleTech PC3700 Nitro Series Memory Review @ CoolTechZone Logitech Frequency Directed Dual Drivers (FDD) Technology Explained! @ CoolTechZone Dual Monitor How To @ The Tech Zone HEXUS.net Feature: NVIDIA's GeForce 6200 Launch AGP-e Slot on 915 boards compared @ t-break HEXUS.net EXCLUSIVE: ECS 915P-A Motherboard -- LGA775, DDR1 & 2,AGP & PCI-E DFI LanParty 915X-T12 @ Viper Lair [Oct-08-04] (0 Comments) The 915P-T12 is a good buy for its price, for those looking for a mid-to-high range motherboard, or a motherboard that will be able to support relatively new technology, the 915P-T12 seems to be right on target. Various News Items [Oct-08-04] (0 Comments) Dell Optiplex GX280 Review @ 3dvelocity.com InsaneTek Case Modding Contest - One week left EverQuest II Preview @ My Guy Games Star Wars Battlefront PC Game Review at Auphan Online @ auphanonline.com Updated Computer FAQs @ TechFreaks Coping with a Serious Data Loss @ The Tech Zone Latest Bios updates - Friday, October 8 - 37 in total! @ tcmagazine.info 44 Screenshots of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes @ tcmagazine.info SONY 710 Double Layer 16x DVD Recorder @ CDRinfo.com CS Source Screenshots @ Techconnect.nl PimpRig Review // Cable-Safe Cable Manager BTC 9128CRF Wireless Office Keyboard Kit @ Hi-Techreviews.com GeIL Ultra-X PC3200 Memory Review @ pcstats.com Various News Items [Oct-07-04] (0 Comments) ABIT AG8 Motherboard (Socket 775) Video Review #488: @ 3dgameman.com Antec TruePower 330W Power Supply @ pcstats.com Rounders Collectors Edition DVD Review @ Ascully.com Viper ATX Gaming Case @ AMD Review Vantec NexStar NST-350UF External HD Enclosure Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM CoolerMaster October Contest @ OCIA.net Ultra Products Brand Mod Gear @ BigBruin.Com Ultra XConnect 500 Watt Power Supply @ OCIA.net NBA Live 2005 Review @ My Guy Games Steelpad's Steel Grip @ TechTastic.ca David vs Goliath - FX5900 PCI-E vs AGP Gaming Comparison @ overclockers.co.nz Article: BFR Consumer Price Guide @ bonafidereviews.com EverCool NP-201 notebook computer cool pad review. @ a1-electronics.net IBM ThinkPad X40 Review @ The Tech Zone Intel IGP Chipset Overview: ATI 9100 Pro IGP vs. Intel GMA 900 @ hardcoreware.net Thermaltake Jungle 512 review @ ocmodshop.com Gigabyte GO-U0128B USB Flash Drive Review @ pcstats.com Various News Items [Oct-06-04] (0 Comments) Soltek EQ340IM QBiC SFF PC Review @ pcstats.com OCModShop contest - 3 AC Ryan modding packages @ ocmodshop.com AC Ryan Contest @ OCIA.net OCZ EL DDR PC-3200 Platinum Revision 2 @ 3dvelocity.com PimpRig Review // UV X-Connect 500W Modular PSU OCZ Platinum: Limited Edition vs. Enhanced Bandwidth @ insanetek.com 8Com Wireless BH220 Bluetooth Headset @ A True Review Logitech X-530 Speakers Review @ CoolTechZone Nostromo SpeedPad n52 Review @ My Guy Games 500 Watt Ultra X-Connect Power Supply Review @ The Tech Zone Review: Zensonic Z710 Wireless Headphones @ hardavenue.com DVIco FusionHDTV DVB-T Digital TV Tuner Card @ overclockers.com.au HUGE ad/spyware fighting edition @ I Am Not A Geek [Oct-05-04] (0 Comments) These are four of the most active bugs floating around currently and we've put together some helper guides on identifying and removing them! Instead of listing each process I've posted them in the forum and linked them within these articles. Doing it this way I will be able to post quite a few guides at once! BookedSpace Removal BonziBuddy Removal OrbitExplorer Removal TopRebates Removal Various News Items [Oct-05-04] (0 Comments) Streamzap PC Remote Control Review @ Ascully.com Rosewill R710N 17 TFT LCD screen @ Rbmods Apple 4th Generation iPod Review @ The Tech Zone Ricoh Caplio GX Review @ pyroport.com GeIL Ultra Platinum PC3200 Memory Review Gigabyte GA-8I915P Duo-A Reviewed @ Hi-techreviews.com ABIT AA8-DuraMAX Motherboard (Socket 775) Video Review #487 @ 3dgameman.com BigBruin.Com Review: Ezonics Esound 5.1 6-Channel USB Headphones Sims 2 Review @ My Guy Games Chaintech AA6800 Turbo Review @ overclockercafe.com The Paperless Office Editorial @ The Tech Zone CrazyPC's Vampire Mid-Tower Case @cluboverclocker.com SWISSMEMORY USB Victorinox 128MB Drive Review @ HardExtreme.org Various News Items [Oct-04-04] (0 Comments) Madman's Guide to Linux: Volume Three - Updating @ Gurureview Ultra 4 in 1 USB 1.1 128MB Drive / MP3 Player Review @ ap0calypse.com Contest @ ap0calypse.com Gigabyte 3D Rocket Cooler Pro @ insanetek.com News: HDD Eyez -mod @ MetkuMods HEXUS.net Review: ASUS AX800XT/2DT PCI-Express Viper Mid-Tower Case @ A True Review Review of Samsung SyncMaster 192MP 19" Multifunctional Display @ bonafidereviews.com Abit first dual-Opteron motherboard @ amdboard.com Aspire X-Navigator Case Review @ overclockercafe.com SF2100 3D Slot Fan @ 3dvelocity.com Asus P5GD2 Deluxe review @ ocmodshop.com Yeong Yang Technologies' Mars YY-5603 @ ClubOC BigBruin.Com Review: Logisys Glacier Dual LED Fan 500W Power Supply Mountain Mods Twice 7 Case @ Viper Lair Call of Duty: United Offensive Review @ My Guy Games 10 more processes added @ I Am Not A Geek [Oct-02-04] (0 Comments) googletoolbar2.dll Dreamweaver.exe firefox.exe NvMcTray.dll NvCpl.dll wsbho2k0.dll winamp.exe msdxm.ocx isafe.exe zlclient.exe A Day at ATI @ Viper Lair [Oct-01-04] (0 Comments) Given some of the demos we've seen that day, we asked for his opinion on benchmarks, particularly synthetic vs real-world. Both are important he says. The problem of course is possible driver optimization, so a balance with real-world benchmarks is needed. On that note, we bugged him a little about the performance gap with NVIDIA regarding Doom 3. Stanley recognizes that scores can be improved, but timedemo'd benchmarks are not true indicators of actual gameplay. Various News Items [Oct-01-04] (0 Comments) Jetart DT5000 giveaway @ Rbmods Enermax Noisetaker 470W Review @ insanetek.com Editorial - Digital Audio @ overclockers.co.nz MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com Star Wars Battlefront Tweak Guide @ TweakGuides.com be-quiet PolarFreezer noiseless vga heatsink @ Dark][Tweaker Various News Items [Sep-30-04] (0 Comments) CoolerMaster X-Dream III Review @ ap0calypse.com 11 New Files in DB What Is Wardriving And How Can You Prevent It @ The Tech Zone BFG Geforce 6800 OC Review @ insanetek.com Koolance Exos-Al @ hexus.net Interactive AMD Athlon 64 product ID guide now also with AMD Sempron FutureMark 3DMark05 Glance Shadow Ops -- 64-bit Gaming Revolution or AMD/Atari Scam? @ pcperspective.com Waffer PC Aircon PAC 400 @ ThinkComputers.org ATI's Theater 550 PRO Video Processor - A First Look Over Breakfast @ hexus.net Shuttle XPC SN95G5 @ hexus.net Wednesday stuff [Sep-30-04] (0 Comments) RFID Chip Editorial @ The Tech Zoone Ultra MP3/128MB USB Flash Drive @ Viper Lair 3DMark05 First Look @ tiscali.co.uk X-Ray Technology Thunder8, Thunder9, & Aqua3 review NZXT Guardian Crafted Gaming Armour Review @ Gurureview OCZ PowerStream 520W Power Supply w/Adjustable Rails Video Review #485 @ 3dgameman.com Ten Steps to a Secure PC - Updated! @ pcstats.com Jetart JACSD1 VGA Cooler Kit @ 3dvelocity.com OCZ PC3700 Gold Rev. 3 Memory Review @ CoolTechZone Temjin 5 Case review @ Techware Labs Burnout 3: Takedown Review @ My Guy Games Toodis Mpal 400 Ultra Compact AV Player @ A True Review InsaneTek Contest - 2 Weeks Left @ insanetek.com Silverstone SST-FP54 Review @ OCIA.net SilverStone SST-ST30NF Aluminum Power Supply Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM SilverStone LC-02's Cooling Problem @ TechFreaks Tuesday Stuff [Sep-30-04] (0 Comments) ATi Catalyst 4,11 beta test @ 3DChip Connectland 2-Port PS/2 Mini KVM Switch @ overclockers.com.au HEXtreme UV paint Review @ Crazymodders.be The headphones you probably want @ dansdata.com Synchronizing Files and Folders @ pcstats.com Tech-Mods.net End of Summer Giveaway @ Tech-Mods.net 6800 to 6800Ultra mod @ PCUnleash BFR: Review of IRiver iFP- 190T 256MB MP3 Player @ bonafidereviews.com A.C.Ryan "Backy" review on OCAU Alphacool NexXxoS XP Waterblock Review @ GruntvillE.com Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising Game Review @ NewsTechInfo.com Various News Items [Sep-28-04] (0 Comments) Cooler Master TAC-T01EK Wave Master review @ Hexus.net Vantec HDCS review @ Hexus.net Spyware / Adware Removal Tutorial @ pcreview.co.uk Silverstone SST-ST05 PC Case Review @ Ascully.com AOpen EZ18-120 SFF System review @ Hexus.net Dell Axim X5 Review @ HardExtreme.org Cooler Master CM Stacker Case (STC-T01) Video Review #484 @ 3dgameman.com Creative S750 GigaWorks 7.1 Speaker Kit @ 3dvelocity.com Alphacool Xtreme Pro Set 240 12v Watercooling Kit Review @ Gurureview Vantec NexStar 2 - 3.5 Hard Drive Enclosure Reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com Gigabyte GA-8ANXP-D Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com X Micro EVA MP3 Player @ HardwareHounds.com BigBruin.Com Review: Zonet ZUB6110 Bluetooth Class 2 USB Dongle 8Com Wireless Digital BH220 Headset Review @ CoolTechZone Thermalright XP-120 Review Antec NeoPower 480 Review @ cluboverclocker.com Water block tests review. @ a1-electronics.net PDA Security How To @ The Tech Zone DDR2 Roundup @ t-break Various News Items [Sep-28-04] (0 Comments) BigBruin.Com Review: A-Top Technology X-Blade ATX Window Case Plextor PX-712A DVD Writer Review @ CoolTechZone Lite On SOHW-1633S 16X DVD Burner @ A True Review GeIL Ultra Platinum PC4000 dual channel kit review @ ocmodshop.com Full Spectrum Warrior PC Review @ My Guy Games Correction FSW PC Review @ My Guy Games FSW PC Review @ My Guy Games Corsair Vs512mb400c3 @ Rbmods Corsair Vs512mb400c3 @ Rbmods Kingston DataTraveler 2.0 High Speed USB Memory Review @ The Tech Zone World Premiere! AMD Athlon 64 Acer Aspire 1520 notebook Specifications and Photos @ amdboard.com [Sep-25-04] (0 Comments) With Acer Ferrari 3400 we had a chance to realize how strong was Acer commitment to offer an attractive AMD notebook lineup with some of the most exquisite designs. Today AMDboard.com, the AMD specialist site°°°, is first again to release the specification and photos of the newest AMD Athlon 64 Acer notebook. Relying on VIA chipsets to provide some unprecedented features like Gigabit LAN or FireWire IEEE1394, the Acer 1520 offers no less than 3 types of graphic chip (NVIDIA GeForce4 448 Go, NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200, NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5700) and a choice of 2 screen sizes (15" and 15.4"). Most interestingly, the Acer 1520 shares the same base than the Acer Sempron notebook version known at Acer 1360 which can already be found in 2 flavors, AS1362WLMi-XPP and AS1362LCi-XPP with both using AMD Mobile Sempron 2800+. Various News Items [Sep-25-04] (0 Comments) Asus V9999 Gamer Edition Videocard Review @ pcstats.com Samsung SyncMaster 173p LCD Monitor @ TechTastic.ca Cooler Master Real Power 450W Power Supply Video Review #483: @ 3dgameman.com Altec Lansing AHS602 Gamers Headphones @ X-Trememodz PimpRig Guide // Fantazmic2's Fabric Mod How-To Albatron Mars PX915G Pro Motherboard SilverStone Temjin TJ06 Case Review @ insanetek.com NEC ND-3500A 16x Double Layer DVD Recorder @ CDRinfo.com Various News Items [Sep-24-04] (0 Comments) Corsair PC2 5400 Pro DDR2 and the sky @OCC VIA K8T890 - PCI Express Reaches AMD @ pcperspective.com Fable Review @ My Guy Games Antec Slk 3700 case @ Rbmods SilverStone LC-02 Case @ TechFreaks Crucial Ballistix DDR2 PC2-5300 Review @ COC AC Ryan's Slogan Contest - One week left! - Enter now and win cool AC Ryan Prizes!! HEXUS.net Feature: VIA's PCI Express plans for late 2004 Matrix Orbital MX412 USB LCD Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Various News Items [Sep-23-04] (0 Comments) Titan TWC-A04 7.5 volt water pump mod to increase the cooling performance. SteelPad S&S Mousing Surface Review @ GruntvillE.com Asus WL-330g Pocket Wireless Access Point Review @ thetechzone.com ABIT Radeon RX600XT-PCIE Review @ cluboverclocker.com Tt SilverRiver Drive Enclosure Review @occ Vantec SATA EZ Swap @ ThinkComputers.org SanDisk Cruzer Mini and Water Filled Optical Mouse Reviewed @ Hi-techreviews.com Cleaning Copper Waterblocks guide @ ocmodshop.com Crash Recovery: The Blue Screen of Death @ pcstats.com Shuttle Zen ST62K Barebones Review @ Gurureview Altec Lansing's AHS602 Gaming Headphones Video Review #482 @ 3DGM HIS 9550 128MB VIVO Edition Video Card Review @ Tech-Mods.net Spire CoolForce VGA Cooling Kit Review @ OCIA.net Pentium 4 M0 Stepping 2,8 GHz overclocking @ Dark][Tweaker Logitech Cordless Desktop MX for Bluetooth Review @ The Tech Zone HEXUS.net Review: GALAXY Glacier GeForce 6800 128MB Cheap and cheerful headphones! @ dansdata.com HEXUS World Exclusive Preview: IWill's ZMAXdp - Dual Opterons in aMini PC Fitting a 120cm radiator & fan in to a computer case mod. @ A1E Gigabyte GA-8TRS350MT Radeon 9100 IGP PRO @ pcstats.com 7 New Windows Files @ I Am Not A Geek [Sep-21-04] (0 Comments) Shell32.dll olepro32.dll oleaut32.dll notepad.exe ntdll.dll ntvdm.exe wowexec.exe Various News Items [Sep-21-04] (0 Comments) Antec TrueBlue 480watt psu @ Moddingworld.co.uk Hot news from AC Ryan - AC Ryan launches Ryanpowertt2 - Customizing your way with CableFREE Artec T1 USB Terrestrial Digital TV Box Review Scythe Coolers (FCS-50 Heatlane & Kama) Video Review #481 @ @3dgameman.com OCZ PowerStream 420W Review @ insanetek.com Albatron PX915G Pro review Logisys Phantom Case Reviewed @ hi-techreviews.com PimpRig Review // PolarFLO TT Series 2 Port Waterblock Article: DOS to DirectX and Beyond @ d-silence.com VisionTek Xtreme2 GO DRIVE Review @ The Tech Zone ATI's X700 Reviewed @ pcperspective.com HEXUS.net Preview: ATI's Radeon X700 XT Shuttle XP17 @ t-break Vantec EZ-grip molex connector kit @ Rbmods SilverStone Temjin TJ01 ATX Case @ LAN Addict [Sep-20-04] (0 Comments) Looking at the overall functionality of how these cards are held in place, I was disgusted. For a $75 dollar case I was truly shocked how low grade this was. Obviously the chassis was an after thought when SilverStone was designing this computer case. Most nice cases these days don't force you to punch out each card slot you intend on using, and furthermore the method of securing these cards forces us to wonder what on earth they were thinking. Obviously SilverStone was considering their pockets over their product. I can't think of any other reason to use so many shortcuts. Various News Items [Sep-20-04] (0 Comments) Seasonic Power Angel Power Monitor Tester @ PimpRig New version of the Overclockulator available for download @ PimpRig Gaming Wear - Shirts @ A True Review Review: Enermax UC-A3FATR2 3.5" Multifunction Panel @ BigBruin.Com Logitech Z-2200 Speaker Review @ The Tech Zone Microsoft S+arck Mouse @ TechFreaks Cooler Master AquaGate (Internal / External) water cooling kit @ COC Thermaltake Aquarius III our Mod 7 review @ a1-electronics.net OCZ EL DDR PC3200 Platinum Revision 2 Lexmark X1150 All In One Printer/Scanner Review @ Ascully.com Various News Items [Sep-18-04] (0 Comments) Monster Gecko PistolMouse FPS @ COC Tt Fanless 350w PSU review @ overclockercafe.com Thermalright XP-120 HSF @ MHW Blackfire 4 UV-LED Lighted Fans and Backy Review @ OCIA.net AOpen XCcube EZ65-II Mini Barebone System @ CDRrinfo SilverStone TJ06 Computer Case @ A True Review Evercool SCPA Fan Controller and ECS Review @ frostytech.com [Sep-17-04] (0 Comments) Given the upsurge in LAN gaming events where we all like to show off our PC's like miniature hot-rods, it's not uncommon for the once utilitarian fan controller to be sporting a billion blinking LEDs of every imaginable colour. The Evercool SCP-A falls into that category with three dials surrounded by a changing colour fixture. As the RPM on the attached fan increases, the colour changes from blue to purple to pink (fastest). A red light indicates an error with the fan in question, and an alarm also wails away. NaturalPoint TrackIR Review @ GruntVillE [Sep-17-04] (0 Comments) Ever had that feeling you were being followed, but couldn't turn around to find out? Ever lost sight of an enemy plane because the only way you could see him was to keep him directly in front of you? There are two reasons for something like this happening. You might not know which keys allow you to look around. Or maybe it was because you were in the middle of a dogfight and couldn't take a hand off the joystick. Fellow pilots and drivers, those days are over. Various News Items [Sep-17-04] (0 Comments) HEC Windmill 400W Power Supply Video Review #479 @ 3dgameman.com Cooler Master Ultra Vortex Review @ insanetek.com Thermalright SP-94 Heatsink Review @ OCIA.net Debugging the Megahertz Myth Editorial @ CoolTechZone Enermax UC-9FATR2 Multifunction Panel Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Cooler Master Hyper 6 Heatsink Fan Review @ pcperspective.com Tapwave Zodiac 1 Review @ HardExtreme.org Easy fitting of additional radiators/fans in a computer case @ a1-electronics.net MicroCool NorthPole NB Cooler and ChipSinks Reviewed @ Hi-techreviews.com Asus Crux P4 XB7N Heatsink Review @ frostytech.com Leadtek WinFast TV2000 XP Expert TV-tuner Review @ pcstats.com BioSlimDisk Review Gainward PowerPack! Ultra/2400 TV/DVI/DVI 256MB6800 GT @ BigBruin.Com The Mother Of All USB Flash Drive Review @ The Tech Zone More letters @ dansdata.com Vantec Nexstar @ Rbmods HIS X800XT and X800 Pro IceQ II Video Cards @ hardcoreware.net New interactive T-Bred and Barton painting guide with FSB mod ! @ ocinside.de CoolJag JVC682A Heatsink Review @ OCIA.net Ezula Removal @ iamnotageek.com Crucial Ballistix 1GByte PC4000 184-pin Memory @ HEXUS.net Swiftech H20-120 Series Water Cooling Kit Video Review #480 @ 3dgameman.com Chaintech AA6800 OC Graphics Card Review @ pcperspective.com Line Interference @ Lineman.net [Sep-16-04] (0 Comments) Finally, there is a source of intelligent tech for your ears! Are you tired of those flashy "tech" shows that are heavy on fluff and light on legitimate tech content? We want to offer you something unique. Building on his passion for technology and love of the talk radio medium, Lineman dared to try something that almost everyone told him couldn't be done: talk radio for the computer geek. While he hasn't landed a spot on traditional radio yet, Lineman and few other inspired contributors are daring to tackle topics that nobody previously thought could be covered in an audio format. These shows feature a rich blend of technology, programming, and security-related topics. No punches are pulled in these shows, as they are aimed at listeners of all skill levels and will be enjoyed by anyone with a logical mind and a sense of humor. Various News Items [Sep-15-04] (0 Comments) Logisys Computer: Liquid Neon and RAM Mod Review @ ap0calypse.com InsaneTek Case Modding Contest Thermalright SLK-800U heatsink review @ ocmodshop.com ThermalRight SLK-947U Heat-Sink @ TechFreaks RCA WHP160T Wireless Headphones @ A True Review Intel Pentium 4 560 @ Viper Lair Thermaltake BigWater mods for more cooling performance. @ a1-electronics.net How to setup a wireless home office @ The Tech Zone Crucial Hi-Speed Gizmo! 2.0 Review @ pyroport.com In search of stupidity Chaintech Volari V3 Review @ 3DChip Super flower SF 480TS-BK 14cm Fan Switching Power Supply @ Dark][Tweaker Super flower SF 480TS-BK 14cm Fan Switching Power Supply @ Dark][Tweaker Various News Items [Sep-14-04] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing YO302WHT Headphones Review @ CoolTechZone Philip's DVP 642 DVD/DivX Video Player @ TechTastic.ca Budget Digital Camera Buyer's Guide @ The Tech Zone ASRock K8S8X Socket 754 (AMD Athlon 64) motherboard test @ ocinside.de Feature: ATI's Theater 550 PRO Video Processor @ HEXUS Later Monday Edition [Sep-13-04] (0 Comments) Tweakmonster RAMsinks and 120mm Fan Bracket Review @ nsanetek.com Scythe NCU-2000 Pentium4 Heatsink Review @ frostytech.com Belkin wireless ethernet bridge @ Rbmods FIC P4M-RS350 Motherboard (Socket 478) Video Review #478 @ 3dgameman.com Nerd-phones! @ Dan's data Kingston HyperX PC3200UL 1GB Kit Various News Items [Sep-13-04] (0 Comments) AeroCool VM-101 Fanless VGA Cooler @ OCIA.net Samsung ML-2552W Laser Printer @ TechTastic.ca PCViper UltraKit - Heatsink Lapping kit @ tiscali.co.uk Titan TWC-A04 Mods 2 for more cooling performance. @ a1-electronics AMD Socket A 2500+ Comparison (Barton, Mobile, Sempron) @ hardcoreware.net Razer eXactMat Gaming Mouse Surface Review @ Ascully.com Samsung YEPP YP-780V Digital Audio Player Review @ The Tech Zone Letters of necessity @ dans data Article: A sequel too far? @ Pyroport Jetway PT800TWIN @ HEXUS Overclockulator v1.1.1b Freeware App @ PimpRig Giveaway // Win a new X-Connect UV PSU! @ PimpRig SWISSMEMORY(R) USB Victorinox @ Aftermath [Sep-12-04] (0 Comments) Emerging from a joint venture with Siemens Switzerland Ltd. Swissbit in Switzerland has more than 12 years experience in development, design, manufacturing and testing of Memory Products.... Various News Items [Sep-12-04] (0 Comments) ABIT Fatal1ty Shootout USB storage on the cheap! @ dan's data 7 New Windows Files (hal.dll - comdlg32.dll - commctrl.dll - comctl32.dll - cmd.exe - cisvc.exe - cidaemon.exe) @ IANAG Mouse WireWeight @ A True Review Natural Point TrackIR 3-Pro @ COC Vantec LPC-301 and LPC-305 Laptop Coolers @ COC ASUS V9999 GeForce 6800 Gamers Edition 256MB @ HEXUS.net Logitech Cordless Controller for Xbox @ COC Abit KW7 KT880 Motherboard Specs & Pict posted @ amdboard.com Various News Items [Sep-11-04] (0 Comments) Vantec Fan Vibration Dampener Kits @ frostytech.com FIC Condor Mini Gaming PC Video Review #477 @ 3dgameman.com Vantec Spectrum fan card & PCI slot covers @ Rbmods Beginners Guides: Windows XP Safe Mode Explained @ PCstats Zalman 5.1 Channel Headphone Amplifier Review @ OCIA BenQ DW1620A 16x DVD Recorder @ CDRinfo.com Epowertec Puma True450 & Cougar 470 power supplies @ COC Various News Items [Sep-10-04] (0 Comments) Interview with Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel @ Gurureview Samsung Yepp YP-780V MP3 Player Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Bantam BA800 Review @ HardExtreme.org Swissbit Twist USB Flash Drive @ A True Review New AC Ryan Contest - AC Ryan Slogan Contest! Matrix Orbital MX412 Review @ COC Catalyst 4.9 comparison @ Dark][Tweaker SWISSMEMORY USB Victorinox @ ThinkComputers.org 1gb Visiontek Xtreme 2 Go Drive Review @ COC CoolForce VGA Cooler @ HardwareHounds.com last nights hack won't slow us down! @ I Am Not A Geek [Sep-09-04] (0 Comments) Yes we were hacked last night somewhere a bit after 11PM, but after a restore and a system update we're back and STILL rolling as if nothing ever happened.... ossmtp.dll Winupdate.exe iexplore.exe shdoclc.dll osa.exe damon.exe Altec Lansing AHS602 Gaming Headset w/ Microphone Review @ Tweaknews [Sep-09-04] (0 Comments) If you are a serious gamer, you ALWAYS have to have a high quality set of gaming headphones to compliment your computer speaker system in times where silence is golden. These are usually when you are sneaking a late night round of Doom 3 without the parents permission, attending a Lanparty or just want to be completely immersed into the gaming experience without being interrupted by outside noises and distractions. The headset being reviewed today brings other features to the gaming environment like a high quality microphone, a remote volume and mute capabilities along with simulated 3D audio Passive Noise reduction and surround sound. Let's see how I enjoyed them. PolarFLO TT Water Block @ Viper Lair [Sep-09-04] (0 Comments) As we've stated at the beginning of the review, building an efficient water cooling system will take some planning and research. For LGA775 processors, your current options are a bit slim, but we certainly would have no problems putting the PolarFLO TT on your short list. Various News Items [Sep-09-04] (0 Comments) Albatron PX915P/G Pro Mainboard Review @ OCC OCZ PowerStream 520W Power Supply Unit Review @ CoolTechZone D-Link DWL-G650 Xtreme G wireless Cardbus Adapter Review @ The Tech Zone Feature: ATI set to kickstart PCI-Express in themainstream enthusiast sector? @ HEXUS.net Day 2 Keynote from Intel & AMD hijack @ HEXUS ATI's X800 All-In-Wonder Launch @ HEXUS Abit AA8 DuraMAX Motherboard Review D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G DI-624 Review @ The Tech Zone [Sep-08-04] (0 Comments) When used with an Xtreme G adapter, the D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G DI-624 becomes the faster consumer level wireless router available today. We were able to wirelessly transfer the 246 Meg Windows SP2 update from one desktop to the other (both with DWL-G520 PCI Adapters) in just 2 minutes and 14 seconds. And that was with encryption on! That is almost as fast as transferring on the wired 10/100 LAN line which doesn't require encryption. Tuesday/Wednesday [Sep-08-04] (0 Comments) MGE's Vigor 450 PSU @ X-Trememodz X600XT AIW Spy Shots, Corsair Hydrocool News! Asetek Antarctica vs. Swiftech MCW6000 Waterblock Review @ insanetek Thermaltake BigWater Universal AMD & Intel water cooled system review. @ A1E IDF: Intel talks memory and NVIDIA talks SDI @ HEXUS Bantam BA800 Review @ HardExtreme.org Samsung's Yepp YP-55I MP3 Player @ TechTastic.ca Chenbro SR20968 SATA Server Chassis Review @ GruntVillE [Sep-07-04] (0 Comments) Directly below the 3 5 ¼” drive bays is the crème de la crème of this particular case. Optionally, you can purchase a removable SCSI or SATA drive cage with backplane. Chenbro has sent us the SATA to play with in the SR20968. Mounted to the front of the case by 4 thumbscrews, the drive cage holds a maximum of 4 SATA hard drives, each hot swappable with a simple pull of a latch. The design is remarkable and yet so simple. The basic case comes pre-equipped with a standard IDE drive cage that holds 4 drives itself. Both drive cages have ways to mount 92mm fans to the cage so that you get maximum airflow to these hot hard drives. Various News Items [Sep-07-04] (0 Comments) Windows XP SP2 Performance Review @ hardcoreware.ne IDF: Introduction & Paul Otellini's Opening DayKeynote @ HEXUS.net Thermaltake Tsunami Dream Case Review @ The Tech Zone Vantec ION2 350W Power Supply Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM NVIDIA 6600GT Performance @ pcperspective.com Monday [Sep-07-04] (0 Comments) Ultra Products Xconnect 500W PSU @ BigBruin.Com Wireless Home/Child Monitoring System @ COC tasker.exe @ IANAG xxx.EXE zzzzzzz.DLL wcmdmgrl.exe wthost.exe wcmdmgr.exe ddcman.exe ddcactivemenu.exe ASUS P5AD2 Premium Wireless Edition @ Viper Lair Altec Lansing AHS-602 Headphones Review @ CoolTechZone Various News Items [Sep-06-04] (0 Comments) Swirly copper @ dansdata.com Abit AV8 AMD Athlon 64 socket-939 motherboard review. @ A1E Logitech Z-3 Speaker Review @ The Tech Zone HEXUS.net Feature: ABIT Hardware Festival ATI Radeon X800 Pro Videocard Review @ Ascully.com ECTS 2004 Roundup @ pcreview.co.uk ASE Games Re-Opens @ aselabs.com ECTS 2004: First Time Perspective @ HEXUS.net TwinHan VisionDTV USB-Terrestrial Digital TV Tuner Review @ Gurureview Exclusive Review: Armari's InertX PF5080 @ HEXUS.net NFL Football Pool @ LAN Addict [Sep-05-04] (0 Comments) I love the NFL and I wanted to do something to share the love. So, I've set up a football pool. There will be prizes for the top finishers at the end of the season, so those folks that get in at the beginning have a disctinct advantage over those that start later on! ;-) Here are the prizes I have lined up so far: Windows XP Pro Full Retail Box Albatron AGP FX5700 or HIS Radeon 9550 VIVO two copies of Sacred a copy of Pax Romana a copy of SpeedUp My PC a copy of WinTasks 4 Professional a copy of Besieger Kingwin Mutant X Case Review @ overclockercafe.com [Sep-04-04] (0 Comments) Kingwin has done an excellent job in bringing a sharp looking box to the low end of the pricing spectrum. While we don't find a removable mainboard tray or aluminum construction we also don't find a high dollar price tag. Kingwin has cut back without cutting corners to bring out a solid performer. LANers who normally shy away from steel cases may want to think twice here. Coming in at 9 kg, the Mutant X is not light but it isn't too heavy to tote around. Various News Items @ (specify) [Sep-03-04] (0 Comments) Thermaltake TWV480 Total Watts Viewer PowerSupply @ BigBruin.Com Thermaltake Xpeaker Review @ OCIA.net Article: Attaching Heatsinks with Thermal Grease and Thermal Adhesive @ d-silence.com Chenming 602A Aluminum Enclosure @ COC Razor Viper Mouse Review @ COC Zalman Reserator 1 Fanless Water Cooling System Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Cooler Master's Declaration to Clear Rumors about Wave Master Victorinox SWISSMEMORY Knife @ A True Review Gigabyte GA-K8NSNXP-939 Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com Gamestars Live Coverage! @ HEXUS.net Eksitdata USB virtual HDD key @ Rbmods Show report: EGN + GSL 2004 @ accelenation.com Weekly Virus Update [Sep-02-04] (0 Comments) It's that time of the week again... We're posting about the latest viruses floating around to help make people a bit more aware of them. Here are the files they run as: dx32hhec.sys windll.exe ctrlpan.dll mvsc.exe windll.exe drvddll.exe Tuesday and Wednesday stuff [Sep-02-04] (0 Comments) Been busy lately with no time to post news, so here's all the Tuesday stuff! Got the order of things mixed up as I was testing a new feature on the newspost system, so below are some more up to date newsposts! PowerColor Radeon 9250 Videocard Review @ Pcstats HIS X600 XT VIVO PCI Express GFX Adapter Reviewed @ MetkuMods nPowerTek TTIC NPH-201 Socket A Heatsink Review @ frostytech.com An Interview With ATi's Richard Huddy @ tiscali.co.uk Gainward Hollywood@Home SoundXplosion 5.1 Headset Review @ gurureview.co.uk BigBruin.Com Review: Seasonic Power Angel Power Monitor @ bigbruin QTechnologies Model 350G Power Supply & Acousti Products AcoustiFoam Standard Pack Review @ OCIA.net Tt BigWater H2O Kit Review @ overclockercafe Various News Items @ (specify) [Sep-02-04] (0 Comments) Antec Super LANBOY @ Hardware12v ATI's Catalyst Control Center @ Bit tech ATI's Catalyst Control Center @ Neoseeker ATI's Catalyst Control Center @ Beyond3D ATI Releases New Catalyst Control Center @ HotHardware.com HEXUS.net custom rig wows the show! @ HEXUS.net HIS Excalibur X600XT VIVO Limited Edition @ Legion HW No more DirectX graphics? @ Hexus.net The Filtering War Will Be No More? @ HEXUS.net ATI and Shader Model 3.0 @ HEXUS.net ATi's New Graphics Control Panel @ HEXUS.net Interview with Fatal1ty, the world's numberone gamer Swiss Army USB Knife Review @ thetechzone.com [Aug-31-04] (0 Comments) They say the Swiss Army Knife can do anything and it looks like you can add storage to its resume. Together with the Swiss data storage specialists at Swissbit AG , the renowned manufacturer of the Swiss Army Knife, Victorinox, developed Swissmemory for computer users on the move. The Swissmemory USB knife is modern, traditional and, of course, made in Switzerland. Sapphire X800 XT Plantinum Edition Review @ thetechzone [Aug-30-04] (0 Comments) The design is much like ATI’s reference board, except they went with a blue PCB and a cool little thumb rest at the top of the card to assist in card insertion. The good thing about this design is that the entire card only takes up 1 slot. A cool feature that this card has is the thermal sensing fan on its heatsink. When the card is not in use the fan will slow down and you will not hear it. When the GPU gets hot, you can hear the fan getting louder. Mushkin LII V2 PC3200 & OCZ Gold Rev 3 PC3700 @ Bit Tech [Aug-30-04] (0 Comments) Mushkin return to the fast lane, while OCZ exercise some extreme bandwidth - but which is the better performer? DT6000 Control Panel @ Aftermath [Aug-30-04] (0 Comments) Modded high spec PC's are now part of everyday life. But a high spec PC usually requires careful planning of ones cooling solutions. Adding the best & biggest fans to your smartly modded high spec PC may not always be the answer.... Three-way Cooling Showdown @ LAN Addict [Aug-29-04] (0 Comments) When it comes to cooling your CPU, it seems that there are almost as many choices available as there are people looking for them. This doesn't make it easy for the average PC user. Today, I'm looking at three different cooling solutions for the CPU. All three can be used on the Socket 462 AMD platform and the Socket 478 Intel platform. Gateway Launches First 'BTX' Desktop PC @ Digital Silence [Aug-27-04] (0 Comments) It's kind of hard to believe that a company like Gateway is on the front edge of the technology curve. However, today they announced a desktop PC using the successor to ATX, Intel's new Balanced Technology Extended or BTX. This new form factor aligns key components in a central wind tunnel. The result should be cooler running PC's even as the individual components radiate more and more heat. How To Protect & Backup Your Data @ The Tech Zone [Aug-27-04] (0 Comments) Death, Taxes, HD Loss Won’t happen to you? Let’s face some facts: 1. In the first half of the year virus scribblers unleashed 4677 new viruses or 26 a day and that was an increase of 21% over last year! No wonder security software companies do such a brisk business. 2. It doesn’t matter which operating system you use – MS, Apple, Unix, Linux – these people who find it “fun” to take over your system or just destroy your data find ways in. 3. Protection software only protects you AFTER the stuff has been unleashed and has infected hundreds or thousands of systems. It isn’t proactive. 4. Seagate just announced a five-year warranty on HDs but “your mileage may vary.” And when the drive goes south they may swap it out for you but what about all of your great, irreplaceable content? 5. According to people who keep these kinds of statistics lightning strikes somewhere in the country over 30 times a day. 6. According to Contingency Planning Research you are the cause of 50% of all computer disasters AOpen XC-Cube EX915 Review @ overclockercafe.com [Aug-25-04] (0 Comments) The unit's design is a matter of taste but I believe you would be hard pressed to find someone not liking the looks of the i915 based XC-Cube. Performance wise, AOpen brings us a nice showing. While you won't be playing Doom3 with the onboard video, you can be doing most anything else. The small size of the EX915 coupled with an add in video card make the XC-Cube a LAN box to drool over. ASUS MyPal A716 PocketPC Review @ tiscali.co.uk [Aug-23-04] (0 Comments) The A620 was a very popular PDA for ASUS. It ran off a powerful 400MHz Intel® PXA255 processor, offered Built-in CF Support and was generally a speedy performer. So why bother with a new model? Well, the A716 adds a couple of new features to the already well specified range. It now comes with not only Blutooth as standard, it also comes with integrated 802.11b wireless for connection to your WLAN and adds both SD and CF slots in the same device. Wireless Security - How To Lock Down Your WLAN @ The Tech Zone [Aug-17-04] (0 Comments) How tightly you want to lock down your wireless network depends on your level of paranoia. To help you out we have prepared a step by step how to on locking down your network from unwanted attacks. To serve you better we rated the important of each security protocols on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most important. Doing all the steps listed here won't make your wireless network hacker proof but it will greatly reduce the risk of a security breach. Quakecon 2004 Article @ pcperspective.com [Aug-17-04] (0 Comments) VIA’s John Gatt was on hand to discuss their chipset plans that included having multiple north bridge chips ready for the PCI Express launch on their AMD and Intel platforms. You will find at least a few north bridges for each line that include different features like amount of PCI Express lanes (mostly for the NVIDIA SLI features that are gaining momentum). LAN Addict and Crucial Radeon 9600XT @ LAN Addict [Aug-13-04] (0 Comments) WIN a Crucial® RADEON™ 9600 XT 128MB video card (valued at US$200) simply by making ONE reply to this thread and a total of 25 non-spam posts in our forums – it’s that easy! Time is running out! This contest ends at midnight, Central Daylight Time, on August 21, 2004. The winner will be randomly chosen from among eligible entrants, who can be from any country on Earth that allows us to give you this card for free. Silverstone's TJ05 review @ PC Unleash [Aug-12-04] (0 Comments) The TJ05 is quite big and heavy so it is not a portable case that can be easily transported to a lanparty. However, it is well suited as a server chassis or as the case for an enthusiast that requires a lot of devices to be installed. In addition, the case provides a low noise level and the 120mm fan controls heat quite well. Because the thermal controller is built inside, it doesn’t clash with the overall design. With a reasonable price the case has many good features that can help users easily manage their system. BigBruin.Com Review:Thermaltake Pipe101 3 in 1 CPU Cooler @ bigbruin [Aug-12-04] (0 Comments) The Pipe101 is one serious piece of copper. With 4 heat pipes, a huge amount of very thin copper plates and a serious looking aluminum shroud wrapped over the entire thing, this has got to be the best looking sink on the planet. Looks aside, can this beauty cool a processor? That’s what we are going to find out." I'll give you a hint, the reviewer also says: "I plan on doing a very nice full lap job on the Pipe101 and making it my permanent cooler. I always thought it would take water-cooling to peel the SLK from my cold dead hands! Thermaltake Tsunami Case Review @ VR-Zone Hardware [Aug-11-04] (0 Comments) The back panel of the Tsunami is standard in design, with the only exception being the attached keys that come with the case. There are two sets of keys (with two keys per set). One set will unlock the front panel and the other will unlock the side panel. The side panel lock is a good idea especially if you want to protect your equipment at LAN parties, but the front panel lock is really unnecessary. LAN Addict and Crucial Radeon 9600XT Giveaway! @ LAN Addict [Aug-08-04] (0 Comments) WIN a Crucial® RADEON™ 9600 XT 128MB video card (valued at US$200) simply by making ONE reply to this thread and a total of 25 non-spam posts in our forums – it’s that easy! This contest runs from now until midnight, Central Daylight Time, on August 21, 2004. The winner will be randomly chosen from among eligible entrants, who can be from any country on Earth that allows us to give you this card for free. Crucial Radeon X800 Pro @ 3DVelocity [Aug-06-04] (0 Comments) After a slightly shaky start, Crucial's Radeon 9800 went on to become a high quality high value product that firmly established the memory giant as a viable player in the graphics market, and their announcement regarding the new lineup on the 7th July suggests they're planning on staying the course, for now at least. Transcend Wireless 128MB JetFlash Review @ PCstats [Aug-05-04] (0 Comments) "In this article, PCstats is testing out an interesting little device from Transcend, the 128MB JetFlash USB 1.1 drive. What makes the Jetflash drive really stand out is that it also contains a 802.11b Wireless LAN adapter. Retailing for $95 CDN ($70 US), the JetFlash is about twice the price of a 128MB USB thrumb drive, but if you factor in the price of a 802.11b wireless NIC (PCI, USB, or PCMCIA), the JetFlash looks like a pretty good deal." Vapochill LS @ Dark][Tweaker [Aug-05-04] (0 Comments) Dark][Tweaker has finished another review. Last week we have tested the asetek vapochill LS cooling unit. The VapoChill LightSpeed has been optimised for the most extreme performance by using a different coolant; R507, which is the most powerful and effective coolant for CPU heat removal. In our projekt we used a pentium 4 EE processor and overclocked him more than 900 MHz. The whole installation guidance and lots of pics can you see in our review. ASUS P5GD2 i915P & P5AD2 i925X Premium @ HEXUS [Aug-04-04] (0 Comments) Intel's 900-series of chipsets attempt to modernise motherboard design from almost every angle. The cost of such modernisation is mediocre speed and, perhaps, limited overclockability. ASUS has done a good job in releasing a couple of boards that are packed to the rafters with useful features, from dual Gigabit LAN to integrated WiFi. Given the P5GD2 Premium's P5AD2 Alderwood-matching performance, it has to be the pick of the two. So if you absolutely want to run the latest cutting-edge kit, it's a good a choice as any. My reservations, however, lie more with Intel's chipset than with ASUS' efforts. JetArt DT6000 - Multifunction Control Panel @ Swemod [Aug-03-04] (0 Comments) Need to control the noise in your computer? Does your fans sound like a airplane? Well here might be the product you are looking for. Controlling the airflow together with looking at the temperature on 6 different spots in your computer will make your system more quiet and ensure stability. SilverStone SST-LC03VFD HTPC Case @ A True Review [Aug-03-04] (0 Comments) HTPC is a big buzzword in computers today and for good reason. A computer can play digital music, stream radio, play DVD movies, and just about anything else you can imagine doing with your home theater system. There is nothing worse than having a nice theater rack for your components with a big computer case shoved on it. That is why SilverStone has created a line of HTPC cases for those of us that want some coordination with our existing components. PC ToyLand sells many HTPC cases and has provided us with the SilverStone SST-LC03VFD case. LAN Addict and Crucial Radeon 9600XT Giveaway! @ LAN Addict [Aug-02-04] (0 Comments) WIN a Crucial® RADEON™ 9600 XT 128MB video card (valued at US$200) simply by making ONE reply to this thread and a total of 25 non-spam posts in our forums – it’s that easy! This contest runs from now until midnight, Central Daylight Time, on August 21, 2004. The winner will be randomly chosen from among eligible entrants, who can be from anywhere on Earth that allows us to give you this card for free. Introduction to upgrading your PC [Aug-02-04] (0 Comments) Is your computer looking a bit long in the tooth? If so, there are plenty of ways to breathe new life into an old system. One of the frustrating things about technology is the fact that any computer you buy always seems to be out of date the moment it is delivered. There is always something bigger, better and faster coming along, and just to rub it in, the new models will probably cost the same. It's wrong to assume that your PC is obsolete just because a newer model has come out. That's just part of the computer industry's fiendish master plan to get you to buy a new PC every 2-3 years. It's perfectly possible to get the latest technology without starting over and buying a new system. There are various ways to improve performance and add features that won't cost the earth. Altec Lansing VS3151 Speakers Review @ CoolTechZone [Jul-30-04] (0 Comments) "Altec Lansing is known for their affordable 5.1 surround sound speakers. A while back, we took a thorough look at the company's 251 5.1 surround sound speakers, which were rather impressive to say the least. It is always benefitial to users who want quality at an affordable price and Altec Lansing here is to do just that. Recently the firm released numerous models to expand its product line. We have already taken a look at few of them and today we will examine the newly released VS3151 5.1 surround sound speakers." Sign up for Boise Fright Fest 04! @ cluboverclocker.com [Jul-30-04] (0 Comments) The sign up page is done, the 20,000 square foot room at the mall is reserved, the pizza is ordered, and the prizes are rolling in!!! The only thing left is for you to SIGN UP! We've got about $6000 in prizes on hand right now, with much more on the way, so don't you dare miss out on this one. Be part of the largest LAN Party to ever hit the state of Idaho! Meet face to face with computer hardware and game reps from companies like Micron, Dream Catcher, Rampage, OCZ, and more. Compete in intense tournaments featuring Painkiller, BF Vietnam, Doom 3, Rise of Nations, and more. Take place in drawings for free hardware and games throughout the 3 day long fest. Reserve your seat now! 3 new windows files explained @ I Am Not A Geek [Jul-27-04] (0 Comments) nvsvc32.exe - NVIDIA Driver Helper Service ctfmon.exe - language bar mstask.exe - Windows task scheduler DFI LANParty PRO875B Motherboard Review @ The Tech Zone [Jul-26-04] (0 Comments) DFI sent us a fancy big box with a bunch of little boxes inside. Almost felt like Christmas opening up everything. Along with the motherboard the bundle included a PC transpo carrying case, round UV sensitive cables, an accessory kit which included 2 sata cables, sata power, and a pack of thermal paste, and finally a frontX panel. HIS Excalibur 9550 VIVO Edition Video Card Review @ LANAddict.com @ LAN Addict [Jul-26-04] (0 Comments) If you're looking for a card that will allow you to capture video from anything with an S-video or composite video connection and do a little gaming on the side, then you should consider the Excalibur 9550 VIVO Edition. With its 256MB of DDR RAM you get smoooth playback of DVD movies and video clips, plus very few dropped frames during video capture. Vantec Lapcool 2 @ ThinkComputers.org [Jul-21-04] (0 Comments) With the increasing number of people using laptops, and the ever-increasing speed and features of today's laptops, a laptop cooler is an important addition to many mobile computer-users. The heat produced by some of these laptops can be quite surprising, and quite uncomfortable. If you rest your laptop on your legs for any length of time, as when traveling by plane, for instance, a laptop cooler is an especially welcome addition. Albatron FX5700P Turbo and Gainward Ultra/980 SilentFX Professionalreview @ Hexus.net [Jul-21-04] (0 Comments) If I learned anything from this article it's that it doesn't pay to take your eye off the mid-range sector, even just for a second. You do so, concentrating on all that's shiny and new and when you glance back you've got dual-DVI boards aplenty. It's a mini paradigm shift that the market has been waiting for for some time, so it's nice to see it finally taking effect, even if it's just from one or two vendors. Bose QuietComfort 2 headphone @ The Tech Zone [Jul-21-04] (0 Comments) The Bose QuietComfort 2 wasn't able to completely cancel out the sound of a 747 landing but it did greatly reduced the noise from the big jet. The difference was quite amazing really. I doubt even industry strength earplugs could have reduced the level as much as what the QuietComfort 2 was able to achieve. As the jet was landing over my head, I removed the headphone and then put them back on to see the level difference and it was like night and day. I let a bunch of "plane spotters" tried the QuietComfort 2 and they were all amazed by it. I think I could have sold a few pairs if I wanted to. The QuietComfort 2 does what it was designed to do; allow you to enjoy your music in a noisy environment. Antec Super LANBOY Review @ hardwareaccelerated.com [Jul-21-04] (0 Comments) The design of the case is extraordinary. As expected, their are no sharp edges to be seen. Upon inspecting the case I noticed a few nice surprises. First off, internal drive trays had rubber grommets supposedly to quite the case down a bit. And is this case quiet. You can barely hear it, espicially considering the two 120mm fans included (the front one being blue lit). Scythe e-OTONASHI Fanless Mini PC Case reviewed @ Hi-Techreviews.com [Jul-20-04] (0 Comments) The Scythe e-OTONASHI Fanless Mini PC Case could never be classified as just another Mini-ITX case not by any stretch of the imagination. There is one thing alone that separates it from all of its competition and that being the use of Heatlane(tm) Technology cooling. Where other cases depend upon case air flow and minuscule fans, Scythe has come up with a cooling system that takes the heat completely away from the processor as well as out of the GamerzStuff Standard Case - Black Review @ Moditory [Jul-19-04] (0 Comments) While pre-mod's are a blessing to some, others would rather have a clean case to start with. A case with very little or no modifications to it, leaving creativity, design, and much more to the discretion of the consumer(A.K.A. "The Boring Beige Case"). This is where modders show their ingenuity, taking a plain bland case and transforming it into a creative and stunning masterpiece. Pre-modded cases have pervaded a large portion of the cases manufactured today; at times severely occluding the search for a plain case. I've found a simple case sporting a medium price-tag, a fan with grill and having small modifications, making it a perfect candidate for modding projects. Breif Look @ SuSE 9.1 Pro (Review) @ ipKonfig [Jul-19-04] (0 Comments) In the year 1991 at Helsinki, Finland, Linux Torvalds, a 21 year old, sandy haired youth who liked to play with computers and push the limits of their design, awoke the sleeping penguin that is now known as Linux. SuSE was founded in 1992 and released their first distribution in 1993. Since then, the company has grown and in January of 2004, the Novell corporation of networking fame bought into the company. This marks a major change for the Linux community since Novell can add years of networking experience to the codebase used by developers and strengthen some of the code where needed. LAN Addict and Crucial Radeon 9600XT Giveaway! @ LAN Addict [Jul-14-04] (0 Comments) WIN a Crucial. RADEON 9600 XT 128MB video card (valued at US$200) simply by making ONE reply to this thread and a total of 25 non-spam posts in our forums its that easy! This contest runs from July 14, 2004 until midnight, Central Daylight Time, on August 21, 2004. The winner will be randomly chosen from among eligible entrants. Vantec NexStar 350UF 3.5" External HD Enclosure @ PimpRig [Jul-13-04] (0 Comments) Unlike the NexStar's 2.5 inch sibling, the increased power needs of a 3.5 inch drive requires the use of an external power supply. The power brick is not big, about as long as a CD Sleeve and is pretty lightweight. If we have to have 120V power to juice it, I would rather see a little larger enclosure with the converter built into it. Albatron K8X800 Pro II Athlon 64 Motherboard @ LAN Addict [Jul-12-04] (0 Comments) The Pro II really has potential since it has all the features Id personally want as a LAN Party enthusiast such as 3Coms Gigabit Network Card for the amazingly quick connections to our game servers, FireWire ports for capturing video from your digital video camera and some diagnostic tools that we just crave! Youll notice BIOS Mirror has become almost standard from many companies but are often named just slightly differently such as Dual BIOS or something similar. If youve ever had the joy of accidentally screwing up upgrading your BIOS youd understand the importance of having a backup. Jade Empire Preview @ My Guy Games [Jul-09-04] (0 Comments) In the ancient, mysterious world of the Jade Empire, you train under your master's watchful eye and learn powerful martial arts and mystical powers. When danger threatens, you travel across the world, from the harsh mountains of the Land of Howling Spirits to the lush gardens of the Imperial City. Only by mastering the greatest fighting styles and defeating the most powerful enemies will you earn your place as a master of martial arts in the world of Jade Empire. AMD get HEXUS on the red line - Interview with Luca Badoer of Ferrari @ Hexus [Jul-08-04] (0 Comments) In a blaze of high octane and gleaming carbon fibre, Tuesday night saw Formula 1 come to London, but just before the huge horsepower engines got fired for a maiden spin around the streets of the England's capital, HEXUS were top of the invite list to get up close and personal with Ms. Jane Parisi of Ferrari's Press Office for the first ever interview of Ferrari's seasoned Test Driver - Luca Badoer. OCZ PowerStream 420W Power Supply Review @ LAN Addict [Jul-08-04] (0 Comments) What do you get for your hard-earned $100? First and foremost, you get reliable power. Not only is that power reliable, each of the three positive rails is adjustable! You get a bit of future-proofing, due to the fact that the OCZ PowerStream PSU is already BTX-compliant. The pre-sleeved and neatly twisted wiring will help keep your case tidy, which can help air flow through your case. OCZ is also one of very few companies that have a warranty of any kind on their PSU, let alone a total of five years worth of warranty coverage! Belkin wireless printer server @ a1-electronics [Jul-06-04] (0 Comments) Ahh the future without cables! Tonite we have a product that will take you one step closer to it as we have a closer look at a Wireless printer server. This little gadget is connected to your printer and thereafter all computers with wireless lan cards can connect to this and print without having to have a main computer on or be connected to the printer. This is seriously something that I will have a use for in my house! Zalman Theatre 6 5.1 (Review) @ ipKonfig [Jul-05-04] (0 Comments) The computer audio market has grown dramaticly since the days of the beeps and bonks of the 80's genre games. Today, there are powerful 5.1 surround sound audio systems that will move your pant legs with the sound of explosions and rifle fire. The problem is that with a really nice speaker system, there are times when you don't want everyone around you hearing the noises. Not to mention, carrying a 5.1 surround sound speaker system to a lan party would be rather difficult and rather impracticable. Altec Lansing VS4121 2.1 Computer Speaker System Review @ Tweak News [Jul-02-04] (0 Comments) Today I will be reviewing Altec Lansing's recently released VS4121 computer speaker system. With full three way sound, excellent aesthetics and a decent price tag, you might want to stick around if you are in the market for a new stereo speaker system. Chenming 602A ATX Case @ PimpRig [Jun-28-04] (0 Comments) When I went out to retrieve the package, I firmly grasped the box, and heaved it up like I normally do. However, this time I was surprised because it felt like there was nothing in the box and I almost lost my balance. It felt like there was nothing in there except packing peanuts! When I took the box down to my lair and opened it I saw that sure enough, there was a computer case in there. But damn, is it light! DVD Player Mod: The Stealth HTPC @ Extension Tech [Jun-26-04] (0 Comments) The initial idea for this mod started to form earlier this year while I was at a friend's LAN party. After drinking plenty of Bawls and playing games all night, we talked a little bit about mods (my Lian-Li is lightly modded, but everyone else's cases were stock). I briefly brought up the idea of a music server PC in a stereo or VCR, but it was more a passing thought at the time. A few days later, however, I put some more thought to the idea, and noticed all of the expensive HTPC cases that were starting to float around. Most of these cases attempted to fit into the general home theater look so that the HTPC wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb. "What could fit more into an entertainment setup," I said to myself, "than a regular DVD player?" Following the mantra of stealth but cool, the DVD Player Mod was born. Danger Den TDX Waterblock @ Club Overclocker [Jun-24-04] (0 Comments) Having touched on the subject of phase change in the last few weeks, ClubOC once again steps back a notch or two. Trying to lug a phase change unit around is if anything a major inconvenience especially if you're into attending LAN events this summer, but going back to air-cooling is almost absurd after running our test unit over 4Ghz and seeing it really open our x800 pro to new levels. So the question is, can the Danger Den TDX hang with alternative forms of cooling? Can it remove enough heat from our 3.0E Prescott and give us enough cooling power to overclock? Well in this review we're going to give you a good idea at what is possible with water cooling, but most of all keep it in the case to give us good portability and user friendliness. Since Danger Den has so far been the epitome of excellence, and thus far has given us ZERO problems, we are assuming, no we are certain that it will give us the kind of reliability and dependability we need for our Prescott. Lets take a look at the TDX... XP SP2 FW more in depth @ I Am Not A Geek [Jun-24-04] (0 Comments) Anybody that thinks SP2's Windows Firewall is such a large improvement had better make sure that they know all the facts. If you believe you need a firewall you will still not want to rely upon SP2's built in Firewall. All of the hype behind Service Pack 2's Firewall may lead most people to believe that Windows Firewall is all they need to stay safe. All of the marketing buzz gives people a false sense of security. While this IS a large step in the right direction it still is nowhere near where it should be. Anybody currently using or planning on using SP2 had better read through this carefully to find out WHY it's not anywhere near as secure as the marketing team will try to make you think. CardKeepers - LAN Goers "Must Have" @ pcperspective.com [Jun-24-04] (0 Comments) With all the summer LAN Parties coming up, these little devices may save those that travel with their PCs some headaches and time. The CARDKEEPERs are retention clips for all slots in your computer including AGP and PCI; they come in many different sizes to accommodate anything a user might have installed in their computer. Thermaltake XJOG USB Fan and Light @ PimpRig [Jun-23-04] (0 Comments) The fan hums along and is for all purposes silent. The blades are made of a flexible material which likens itself to naugahyde. Seeing how it is toted as ouch less, I decided to temp fate and thrust my finger into the fan blades path. Not to any real surprise, there was no ouch and the fan kept spinning. Vantec EZ-Grip Connectors and FluidXP Non-Conductive Coolant @ PimpRig [Jun-21-04] (0 Comments) When I first looked at these connectors I honestly thought they were little grips that they had put on the sides. Geez, let me tell you, was I way off base. The Tech Zone head to China for a tour of the Abit motherboard making factory: @ The Tech Zone [Jun-21-04] (0 Comments) The factory has two plants on either end. There are 12 SMT lines. At the center is the worker's dorm. Unlike America, Chinese factories like Abit have to house their own workers. Employees are given free housing along with free lunch and dinner. They're paid an average of 1,000RMB per month. That works out to about $100US. And here you've been wondering why so many US jobs are being exported. Chenming 602A ATX Tower Case Review @ LAN Addict [Jun-20-04] (0 Comments) If I had to pick one thing I like best about the 602A, I would have to say it is the way the side panel is fastened to the rest of the case. It isn't your typical slide-on type of arrangement. It is a hinge type of construction that makes getting into the case all but effortless! Add the ease of entry to the copious amout of room inside the case and you've got one hell of a package! Getting Ready for BTX @ pcstats [Jun-16-04] (0 Comments) Thus far, motherboards have remained pretty stable in terms of size, shape, and the location of cable connectors and such. Long ago, the AT standard morphed into ATX, the current day standard which outlines exactly where components are located on a board. The ATX 2.0 standard (the second revision of ATX) made way for a small assortment of sizes like Micro-ATX, Flex-ATX and so forth. Yet, no matter what the size of the motherboard, whether it be for a small form factor PC, or a desktop PC, the location of components like PCI slots, processor, and I/O ports (PS/2, USB, network, parallel, and serial) are all essentially the same. Several months ago consumers found out that Intel had plans to change all this. Called BTX, this new standard is as yet unapplied, but will eventually force you to toss out all your good hardware and purchase new parts; at the very least a case, motherboard and power supply which conform to the standard. How to block Wi-Fi signals @ Extension Tech [Jun-16-04] (0 Comments) A friend of mine and I were talking about how he planned on rolling out some wireless access points in his house. We decided that he should use two access points on opposite sides of the house. Then he said “But how do I keep the neighbors from seeing my signal?” That got the old hamster in my head running on his wheel. XP SP2 RC2 Available Tuesday @ I Am Not A Geek [Jun-14-04] (0 Comments) The Full installer and Slipstreamed Images in English language were just made available for download. The Express installer will be available EXCLUSIVELY via Windows Update and will be available on Tuesday, June 15th 2004. SquirrelBBS - new BBS system coming soon @ IceTeks [Jun-12-04] (0 Comments) SquirrelBBS will be developed by me on my spare time, however, my main goal is to always keep it free, and make it so everyone can use it how they want. There will be very little restrictions on it's use. IPB has inspired me to do this project as the direction they are going indicates that they will soon go fee-based, and it is sad to see a good BBS system go in the water like that. However, my plan is not to go against IPB and copy them exactly or rip them off, but simply offer an alternative to those who don't want to pay or see the word TRIAL written all over their own site. Next-Cool WaterCUBE GT3 Water Block @ pimprig [Jun-11-04] (0 Comments) Let’s crank this puppy up and see if what Next-Cool says is true. From their website: "The WaterCUBE GT3 rel.D guarantees shiver performances and temperatures of exercise under control also with emiting CPU more than 100 Watts (power calculated with overclocked and under stress CPU).” I'm not sure if we will know what they say is true or not since I haven't got a clue as to what the hell they are saying. People really shouldn’t use Babelfish for foreign language product translations. BlackMagic™ - The UV-active paint @ AC Ryan [Jun-10-04] (0 Comments) June 2004 - Ever thought of painting your hardware? Allways wanted a different color than the standard green circuit board color on your internals? Can't find the colors that will leave mouths and eyes open at LAN Parties? Normal paint just wont do because you cannot see it in the dark and because it's just...too 'normal',. UV-active paint is the solution to your problems! Paint your harddisks, baymods, fans, heatsinks, etc with the BlackMagic UV-active paint! Create your coolest designs in UV-active so that you can show them, even in the dark! Painting small parts on your motherboard, or even a whole videocard is possible. AC Ryan ensures you 100% that it's not electrically conductive! That means that you can paint everything everywhere without being afraid of destroying anything! Create the designs in the colors you want and be the point of attention with the lighted up internals! BlackMagic™ is part of AC Ryan's UV-active fever and this UV-active paint is not the only product in the BlackMagic™ series coming out this summer. Keep watching our site this summer for more Black Magic™ products!" Mambo MP-D600 6-in-1 MP3 Player @ Pimprig [Jun-05-04] (0 Comments) Being a portable MP3 player as well as an SD card reader, I really think that the Mambo does not reach its full potential since Eumax chose not to include a built in USB connector. On another negative note, the Mambo tops out at only USB 1.1 speeds. If you are only planning on using the 128MB of built in memory, than the USB 1.1 speeds may be fine. But for users wishing to access a SD card in the Mambo, the USB 1.1 speeds make huge file transfers a long task. Corsair TwinX1024 3200XL Pro (2-2-2-5) (Review) @ Ipkonfig [Jun-04-04] (0 Comments) They thought it couldn't be done, they laughed at the idea, but Corsair did it! Again we're seeing Corsair Memory push limits above and beyond the competition. Corsair has released its fastest memory to date along with the fastest memory on the planet. Striking a deal with Samsung, Corsair was able to obtain memory modules capable of hitting extreme low latency. Lanparty PC mod @ PC Unleash [May-29-04] (0 Comments) Another innovative mod has been unveiled at pcunleash. This time, the lcd monitor will be embedded into the PC case. Moreover, this pc is designed to carry around, so it is the perfect PC to take it to a Lanparty. This was Mr Lee's (Gwang Kyu) his first time trying his hand at a mod, and came up with a very uniquely designed pc. cinemediapc @ Bit Tech [May-27-04] (0 Comments) ...this time it's hard wood. Solid oak planks. I used my router and circle cutting jig I made to make perfect rounded ends. I just needed to measure the center line and drill some holes.... PCToyland Dual Cold Cathode Kits @ Controlled Insanity [May-26-04] (0 Comments) Perhaps one of the origional case "mods", the cold cathode (CCFL) has come a long way. Various companies and manufacturers tried to develop the brightest, best looking lights, with only a few actually succeeding. Today, we take a look at an offering from one of our best sponsors PCToyland a nice selection of dual CCFL lights, in 4 different colors. Let's see just how far these lights have come! AC Ryan Tshirt Design Contest - Win the NEW Mystery PSU @ AC Ryan [May-25-04] (0 Comments) May 2004 - Don't you feel the summer coming... it's time to get those cool Tshirts out and go LANning indoors and outdoors. While you're getting ready to do so, why not pump up those creative juices and design the ultimate cool Tshirt!!! Besides having some fun, you'll also stand to be the first to own the upcoming new generation Mystery AC Ryan power supply (you can be sure it's gonna better than the best). With this contest we would reach out to the modders and make AC Ryan a more accesible brand. This will not only benefit AC Ryan, but will also benefit in a more lively modding community. The AC Ryan Tshirt Design Contest is already running at popular forums near you - Virtual Hideout, Pimprig, and Madshrimps.be - with some cool and wickedly funny designs. Check them out now! The clock is ticking ... ONE more month to go before the contest closes (1 July) and the winner is announced. Simply design and post. All designs are welcome - funny, serious, wicked, cool, tuff, flowerpower, geeky, modgawd, ... just post them! Everyone can do it. The more of you taking part, the more fun it's gonna be... so get moving and keep those designs coming MSI K8N Neo Platinum motherboard review. @ A1-Electronics [May-25-04] (0 Comments) Packed full of features from Gigabit LAN and 7.1 channel audio this top quality MSI K8N Neo Platinum motherboard sets a great standard for others to follow. With rock solid stable operation, bags of overclocking headroom and all the necessary leads included our only gripe with this MSI K8N Neo Platinum motherboard is that there is no matching SmartCard reader to buy option to give that finishing touch to a complete motherboard package. A SmartCard reader is so easy to use and just plain handy. Epox EP-4PDA5+ i865PE Springdale Motherboard Review @ Tweak News [May-19-04] (0 Comments) Today I will be reviewing Epox's latest edition to their i865PE (Springdale) based motherboards. The EP-4PDA5+ is not your everyday Springdale motherboard. Although it is not targeted towards the enthusiast market, you will see in the upcoming pages that if you didn't know what chipset this motherboard was powered by, you would swear it was a Canterwood. Aside from performance, this motherboard is no slouch in the feature department either. With an extremely overclocker friendly BIOS, 7.1 channel onboard sound, Gigabit LAN, four SATA drive capability and Prescott support, it's hard to believe that the MSRP is only weighing in at a measly US$110. Is this the fast and cheap motherboard the cash strapped masses have been waiting for? Read on..... Antec Aria Small Form Factor PC Case Review @ Ascully.com [May-17-04] (0 Comments) We have looked at all types of cases here on the site but never anything like this. Antec have moved away from the full size enclosures that made them famous to bring us something a less bulky and a lot more classy. All you LAN Party addicts are certainly going to appreciate this case. Welcome to the tiny world of the Antec Aria. Do good things come in small packages? Let's take a look. Zalman "Theater 6" 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones @ Controlled Insanity [May-16-04] (0 Comments) For some time now Zalman has had a pretty tight grip on the cooling market, whether it be air or water cooling. They are a very well established company, and recently they have branched out and began manufacturing audio products. The newest item on our review block, sent over by PCToyland, are the new Zalman "Theater 6" 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones, let's go see if Zalman's quality with cooling has spilled over to their new audio products. A look at Alienware's X2 dual Graphics Technology @ (specify) [May-15-04] (0 Comments) any might be wondering why other system vendors aren’t following a similar pattern by using a dual-card graphics solution. Seeing as there are no motherboards available or planned by any vendors which feature the necessary lanes to accommodate two graphics cards without sacrificing other ports, any effort to do so would have to be custom made for this system. Alienware has done just that, designing a board around an unspecified upcoming Intel chipset. Streamzap PC Remote @ Techware Labs [May-14-04] (0 Comments) re you planning on building a multimedia or MP3 player PC for your home entertainment center? The Streamzap PC Remote is your final piece to the puzzle. Don't know why your dad always coveted his remote? After reading this review, you should know why The AMD Mobile Barton @ Bit Tech [May-13-04] (0 Comments) Since the release of the Athlon 64 back in September 2003, many people might have thought that Socket A would die out and make way for the new K8 architecture. However, this has proven not to be the case; new motherboards with awesome overclocking features such as the DFI LanParty Rev. B and DFI Infinity Rev. A have given the K7 architecture a breath of fresh air... Thermaltake LANMoto computer case review. @ A1 Electronics.net. [May-13-04] (0 Comments) Yet another superbly well made and thought out computer case from Thermaltake this LANMoto. To be honest we do not have any complaints with this Thermaltake LANMoto accept that we would like to see a filter arrangement like that fitted to the front panel fan on the side panel fan. Fine micro sized dust does build up over time. We know that from our own experiences here in our offices and at home. But that said it is easy enough to fit some filter material to the panel fan. X-Blade ATX Case Review @ (specify) [May-13-04] (0 Comments) Premoded or not, that is the question that each of us face when shopping for a new computer case. For most of us that is an easy question to find the answer to, we prefer to mod our case ourselves to show our mad modding skills. But there are some out there that prefer to not go through the painstaking hassle. For those people it’s a tough journey in finding that one case that has the quality and style that they want wrapped up in a great looking case. But fear not, pctoyland.com may have just the answer you were looking for called the X-Blade case. Albatron PX875P Pro Motherboard Review @ PCStats.com [May-12-04] (0 Comments) What happens then to those consumers who don't want fully loaded motherboard? Why should they spend the extra money for features that aren't really needed? For example, my main PC has an IDE RAID controller, onboard 5.1 channel audio, IEEE 1394 and onboard CSA Gigabit LAN... but they all sit idle. They're nifty features to have, but if I could have gone with a motherboard without them for a lower price, I would have X-Micro WLAN 11G Broadband Router and PCI Card @ TechTastic.ca [May-12-04] (0 Comments) while ago we had the chance to take a look at X-Micro's 802.11b Broadband router. Now with the 802.11g busting out on the scene, X-Micro has stepped up to the plate and upgraded the broadband router to the new standard. Today we take a look at this newer version router and PCI Card that boasts an 802.11g Turbo Mode capable of 108 Mbit/s! Iaudio 4 mp3 player @ Rbmods [May-07-04] (0 Comments) We have looked at several mp3 players on rbmods and tonite we have another one. It's a pretty big company called Iaudio that had this sent to us. It's a small player yet has tons of features and seems to be at first glance a pretty nice player after looking at the specifications. Will it stand against our testing and end up as a winner here at rbmods? Well stay tuned to see. Contour’s miniature optical mouse @ Envy News [May-07-04] (0 Comments) Ever pulled out your laptop on a plane or in a classroom only to find out the full-sized desktop-PC mouse has no room to roam? Enter another 'mini' Mouse review, except this time from Contour Designs. The MiniPRO Ti is an example of cramming an optical mechanism into a tiny mouse for the purpose of constrained working environments. However, that said, the MiniPRO Ti does have its faults, no matter how good its intentions were. Opus Technologies Titanium Tiny Tower TT-501 @ COC [Apr-26-04] (0 Comments) Upon the first glance I even had at this case was hard to explain. I couldn't believe the fit and finish and unique design of this product. The name brings back flashback of Bloom Counties Opus the penguin, and given the influence of such a great newspaper cartoon one tends to wonder. Anyways Opus technologies started out in 1999 as a main supplier of motherboards and software, and just recently shifted their focus towards providing quality PC enclosures. Well, given that this is one of their first products, Opus has already made a huge impression on the whole staff at ClubOC. So does this case live up to its titanium name set? Lets pry this thing open and check it out... AOpen AX4C Max II Intel Pentium 4 motherboard review. @ A1 [Apr-23-04] (0 Comments) Another improvement to this top quality motherboard from AOpen bringing high-performance, overclocking and a high-end featured package. Overclocking and stability is excellent for those of you planning overclocking this AOpen AX4C Max II motherboard for ultimate performance. X-Micro 11G Wlan router and PCMCIA card @ Rbmods [Apr-22-04] (0 Comments) We reviewed some wireless stuff from Xmicro awhile back and now we recieved their upgraded versions of their wireless router and PCMCIA card on the test bench. X-Micro WLAN 11g+ Router 108Mb is something that will be very interesting to see since this should be very fast. This will be very intresting to see so stay tuned. How to make or replace your plexi window @ Rbmods [Apr-20-04] (0 Comments) I kind of needed to replace the window in my X-Dreamer case because it got messed up (scratched and cracked) from me playing with my dogs in my computer room. So while I was replacing the window, I decided to add another fan to the window to help cool my video card. Raidmax Storm ATX Mid-Tower Case @ COC [Apr-20-04] (0 Comments) We've had quite a few Raidmax product reviews in the past, and they never seem to disappoint us when it comes to bang for the buck. Of course some of our staff tend to argue about what is more important, bang of the buck, or features and quality. I think after taking a quick gander at the Storm ATX case, that Raidmax haven't changed too much. It seems that they have had the same internal case design for quite awhile, much like Antec had just a few short years ago. So what does the Storm in this case describe? Well a quick look at the 120mm fan in the front panel gives us a good hint, and the semi-gloss grey paint job may have some kind of resemblance to the dark clouds that come out of the sky just before a storm. Ok now I'm getting carried away, so lets take a look at this case and see if it's a worthy contender in the budget case market that Raidmax seems to own right now... Technical museum showing up modded computers article @ Rbmods [Apr-16-04] (0 Comments) Ok everyone, this is my first article I’ve ever written, so don’t complain! So this year the Technical museum has an exhibition for modified computers. This exhibit is the first time here in Sweden. And all this is thanks to Nils Olander. So I went there on my holiday a week ago to see everything. It’s a great exhibit even though there were only about thirty computers there. http://x-trememodz.com/content-81.html @ X-trememodz [Apr-16-04] (0 Comments) Computer modification is a lot like building a custom car, so there is really no suprise that we are starting to see some car themed pre mods. The trick is to not overkill the car theme, I saw a case several months back with a BMW theme, and it was just horrible. Aspire's new case the X-Infinity has a car theme to it, did they over do it or did they find the right balance between car and computer case? You be the judge. Beginners Guides: Cloning WindowsXP @ PCstats.com [Apr-14-04] (0 Comments) PCstats has previously covered a handful of disk cloning software programs which are useful for the purpose of backing up your data by making an identical copy of your hard disk. Now we'll look at another essential use for disk cloning: Copying an existing WindowsXP installation to a new hard drive. Well, ask yourself; are you planning to upgrade your computer's hard disk at some point? Are buying a new computer to replace your old one? If the answer to either of these questions is 'yes', then this guide is definitely for you. You could reinstall WindowsXP on the new drive, but that means reinstalling all your software and redoing your personal configurations all over again. The solution to this problem is to clone your old hard disk. LAN Addict and Dreamcatcher Games Painkiller Giveaway! @ LAN Addict [Apr-12-04] (0 Comments) (1) One signed Painkiller Game! * (3) Three retail copies! * (5) Five Soundtrack CDs! * (5) Five Posters! Abit AN7 Motherboard Review @ LAN Addict [Apr-12-04] (0 Comments) In enthusiast circles there are a few company names you’ll hear most often. One of those happens to be ABIT Computer Corporation, or more simply, ABIT. While ABIT has been around since the late 80’s, they first popped up on enthusiast’s radar in 1996 when they introduced Soft Menu™ to the world. Moving forward they released a number of boards as well as the famous BH6. The BH6 put ABIT on the map as one of the top manufacturer’s for enthusiasts and overclockers alike. Today we’ll be taking a look at a board with another milestone, ABIT’s AN7 with their new Guru(TM) feature. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow Review @ OCC [Apr-09-04] (0 Comments) For those of you living in the dark, Splinter Cell is a stealth-action game that puts you in the roll of Sam Fisher, who happens to be an ex-US Navy SEAL as well as an ex-CIA agent. As you find out in the original title, Sam now works for sub-agency of the NSA known as "Third Echelon". The task of "Third Echelon" is to do whatever it takes in order to protect the county, this task is known as the "Fifth Freedom." And of course, should Sam ever become captured or killed, all knowledge of his existence will be denied. Sam Returns to the spy game with a few new tricks and tools. Those of you who played the first game, should be happy to know that the controls for SCPT are almost identical to the original. However, oddly enough, the controls for the multiplayer mode are dramatically different. Chaintech Apogee AA5700U FX5700 Ultra Videocard w/ DDR2 Review @ Tweak News [Apr-09-04] (0 Comments) The AA5700U has impressed me from the initial glance to the final repackaging back into its product box. It looks great, is very well built, has great looking and performing cooling solution and overclocks like a Teddy Ruxpin on a car battery. You just can't get a better package. Plus we haven't even mentioned the crazy amount of bundled software or the included cables. LAN Addict and Dreamcatcher Games Painkiller Giveaway! @ LAN Addict [Apr-09-04] (0 Comments) Rules: * Contestant must be (13) thirteen years of age or older * Must be a resident of the United States or Canada * No more than one entry is permitted. * Dual entries are disqualified. * LAN Addict has final say on winners. * Rules may change at any time with or without notification. * E-mail addresses will be used for contest related items only, unless otherwise indicated. * Contest ends on April 23rd 2004 * Winners will be announced April 26th 2004. * Winners MUST respond via e-mail to receive prize. Visit http://contest.lanaddict.com/ to enter! PowerColor Radeon9800XT Video Card Review @ GruntVillE [Apr-05-04] (0 Comments) The large fan on the sexy heat sink is the first thing to catch your eye. The copper airflow channels and the silk screened generator-like image flank the large fan. The ATI classic red board serves as a nice background. The HSF covers not only the GPU but also the memory. The fan works as an intake and blows air through the copper channels under the silk screen. The nice part is that it only takes up the AGP slot and doesn't interfere with the PCI slots. Monthly Recommendation @ Pc Unleash [Apr-04-04] (0 Comments) Building a computer isn't just a hobby, its an art. And with art comes skill, the more skill you have, the better looking your finished piece looks and works with each other. It can take many months or years for that matter to master this skill. The skill to make sure the colors flow with each other, or in computer language, the skill to make sure your components work flawlessly with each other. We here at PCUNLEASH, feel as though we will give you a cheat sheet to master this skill. We will make these computers run Doom III and HL2 especially Alphacool NexXxoS HP Pro @ Techangel [Apr-03-04] (0 Comments) My first foray into watercooling helped me overcome the fear of mixing water with electronics and since then my primary rig has been watercooled 24 hours a day. Until a short while ago I was still using the block from the Cool Sprinter kit but now I've been sent this Alphacool NexXxoS HP Pro block by the lovely folk at water-cooling.com. Until quite recently the NexXxoS HP Pro (HP Pro from now on) was top of the rankings at watercoolplanet but has since been topped (by a tiny margin) by a different block. We can still assume that this should be one the top performing designs of block around at the moment, let's see if it lives up to it's hype and potential... CasEdge Diabolic Minotaur Mid-Tower Case Review @ LAN Addict [Apr-03-04] (0 Comments) CasEdge is not one of the first names that comes to mind when you think of companies that make computer equipment. While CasEdge might be a new name their parent company, Foxconn, has been making parts for OEM PC builders for quite some time. Seeing the popularity of the PC Enthusiast and LAN Gaming market segments, Foxconn decided to sell directly to consumers through a new brand name, CasEdge. Antec Super LANBOY Case Review @ Ascully.com [Mar-29-04] (0 Comments) The SUPER LANBOY carries on with Antec's tradition of quality and value. It is not really a evolution of the LANBOY case. It's more of a refinement, but hey that's a good thing. Enermax Ultimate Controller Review @ Crazymodders.be [Mar-28-04] (0 Comments) When you unpack the controller it looks very sturdy and solid at first sight, and this is confirmed when you take a closer look. Everything is finished beautifully and there is enough space to hide your cables. The only thing that struck me immediately is that the cables entangle quickly when you loosen their binders because they are quite long. A solution to this problem is to put tie wraps around the cables every 10 to 15 cm. Once you have installed the controller completely this naturally doesn't bother anymore. Zalman ZM-RS6F "Theatre 6" Surround Sound Headphones @ Unique Hardware [Mar-24-04] (0 Comments) Enter Zalman's ZM-RS6F "Theatre 6" headphones that offer a true 5.1 surround sound environment. Finally; the joy and brilliance of a great set of speakers brought down to the scale of headphones, for your own personal enjoyment. Just think of the LAN parties! If that hasn't gotten you excited already, just read on... NZXT Guardian Case Review @ OCIA.net [Mar-23-04] (0 Comments) This steel chassis mid-tower case brings a unique look as well as providing some nice ease of use features, including an almost completely screwless design. Its most prominent feature though has to be its unique "Guardian Eye Motion LED", which could make you the envy of any LAN party. Danger Den RBX Review @ Crazymodders.be [Mar-21-04] (0 Comments) If you look a bit closer you can see that a part of these grooves have a wave-like shape instead of just being dead straight. This peculiar shape raises the turbulence of the water, entering the waterblock, which makes the water absorb more heat thus improving overall performance of the block. Last but not least there are about 45 very shallow holes on the bottom on the inside of the block. These holes are actually called Heat Voids and add to raising the turbulence of the water, every way of improving the block's performance has really been employed by Danger Den. Chaintech Apogee AA5700U Videocard Review @ PCstats [Mar-20-04] (0 Comments) Let's be utterly frank for a moment, the AGP slot's days are numbered. That being the case, there are still many millions of AGP motherboards in the world, while virtually no computers in the hands of consumers use PCI express yet. It may be some time before the balance swings in favour of PCI Express, so videocard manufacturers are continuing to produce their products for consumers looking to upgrade older machines. After all, it is all about playing the games we like at the best possible visual quality isn't it? Mainstream graphics cards are often talked about in publications, and while the industry slang is an accurate depiction of the FX57000 videocard, I'm sure most consumers are really only interested in improving the FPS and appearance of their game, for the most economical outlay of cash. In that respect, the nVIDIA GeForceFX 5700 and GeForceFX 5900XT class videocards bode well. Case Handles from MNPCTECH @ Voidedwarranty [Mar-18-04] (0 Comments) ese case handles are a perfect solution for anyone that moves their computer around frequently or if you attend LAN Parties. They are stylish and are easy to install. Extending your wireless signal @ Envy News [Mar-16-04] (0 Comments) Let me guess, you were all pumped for converting your home LAN to WiFi, and now your signal to the wireless access point isn't as strong as you would have liked? Are you shifting your router around, repositioning your PC or laptop's antenna every few hours, or you now run the AP in the same room as the network device? Not everyone is in your boat, but quite a few homes these days - and offices - appear to shield or scramble the signal worse than others. This short but concise feature article details to you how, with the use of two SMC products, you can improve your WiFi reception. Corsair TwinX1024-4000PRO Memory @ LAN Addict [Mar-15-04] (0 Comments) This kit consists of a pair of 512MB sticks of DDR500 RAM. The TwinX1024-4000PRO DIMMs come with an added bonus. Each DIMM has 18 activity LEDs on it, shading from yellow to orange to red, three pairs of each color. These LEDs are attached to the black heat spreaders that are installed on the DIMMs. If you have a windowed case, this gives you yet another set of lights for everyone to admire while you're busy fragging them! Altec Lansing 251 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers @ Hardextreme [Mar-12-04] (0 Comments) Looking for a quality speaker system? Picking out a speaker system is not as easy as you think. There are many options available on the market depending on your needs. Speaker systems can range from sub $100 to as high as a few thousand dollars. Manufacturers have speaker systems developed for gamers, music lovers, etc. It's confusing to pick out a speaker system. One may think but I listen to music and play games so what is the right solution for me? Altec Lansing's site is laid out very nicely and has a music and gamer category with suggested models layed out. The Altec Lansing 251 5.1 surround sound speaker model is marketed as one of their gaming models. I have always been a fan of Altec Lansing speakers. They seem to pack performance into their speakers at relatively inexpensive prices. Thermal Integration TI-RV104N Heatsink Review @ FrostyTech [Mar-12-04] (0 Comments) The forked-fins of this extruded aluminum heatsink make it pretty evolutionary for its class; especially considering Intel's recently announced bifurcated reference heatsink for the socket 775 Tejas-FMB1. The 'sun' shape of the Thermal Integration TI-RV104N, with copper in the center surrounded by aluminum, is a hint of what you can expect when computers make the switch to socket 775 - only the heatsink will be about 80mm in diameter. With a diameter that large, it leads me to wonder if plans aren't also in the works to come out with a Socket 754 Athlon64 version based on the TI-RV104N. In any case, it is too early for that so let's get started and see how the Thermal Integration TI-RV104N performs thermally, and acoustically! Plantronics Audio 90 Headset Review @ GruntvillE.com [Mar-10-04] (0 Comments) Often, people grab the cheapest set at the local retail store, overlooking the most important aspects, sound and comfort. There are many options available and there are also many different price ranges. Music lovers need intense, high-quality sound. Gamers need good sound, comfortable fit and a microphone. For $200 you can get headsets that sound like you are sitting front row at a concert or make that rocket launcher blow your eardrums as you run for your life. Wow, $200! That's the price of a good video card! Not everyone has that kind of money to shell out, and price shouldn't stop the gamers and music lovers from having a performance headset that's comfortable. So that leaves many of us searching for the headset that falls into this category. ATI Remote Wonder 2 Multimedia PC Remote Control Review @ Tweak News [Mar-09-04] (0 Comments) The many programmable buttons mean that you can configure your remote to your liking. The RWII can take care of all of your entertainment needs, from playing tunes in WinAmp, to watching movies and TV via ATI's MultiMedia Center. The unit is much better designed, sitting comfortably in your hand, and the mouse handling is far, far better than that of the RWI. Lastly, the fact that ATI is planning future support for IR Blasters means that this unit will be able to handle your hardware needs for quite some time. Free BSD live Evaluation Cd's @ Slashdot [Mar-04-04] (1 Comments) "Now the BSD world has an answer to Knoppix. The FreeSBIE project have released a live FreeBSD based system on CD. There are also plans to develop a suite of programs to be used to create a personalized disk." If it offers a painless BSD install (the way Knoppix makes it easy to install Debian to a hard drive), this should be a popular project. Reader Cronopios links to a related effort called LiveBSD which "has heavily modified FreeSBIE's scripts to allow for apache mysql and many other programs to run." bit-news Socket 478 Motherboard Grouptest @ Bit Tech [Mar-03-04] (0 Comments) The clear winner of this group test has to be the DFI LanParty 865PE with its shockingly low price tag for such a complete package. The Gigabyte GA-8I875 deserves a mention as the best motherboard on test but it's cost might not be within everyones budget... Graphic cards gaming benchmark: Farcry Demo @ Pc Unleash [Mar-03-04] (0 Comments) We are going to benchmark video card performance using one of the newest games, Farcry. Farcry has released its demo version couple weeks ago. The single-player demo for Crytek's tropical first-person shooter provides a player with the opportunity in exploring a vast island level on a mission to attack a mercenary base. This demo version of Cryteck presents a great artistic detail on the background. The game players will be astonished by the realistic presentation of the sea shore and islands throughout the game. The company is releasing this game in the end of March Interview with VIA's Tim Handley @ Pyroport [Mar-01-04] (0 Comments) The VIA CN400 is the new flagship digital media chipset for VIA processors. It will be available on both the Nano-ITX and Mini-ITX EPIA mainboards and, indeed, introduces a 200MHz FSB. Boards are planned for the first half of 2004. DFI Lanparty PRO875 "Revision B" Canterwood Motherboard Review @ Tweak News [Mar-01-04] (0 Comments) If any series of motherboards could be crowned as one of the most popular product line introduction in 2003, the Lanparty line would be definitely on the top of the class. With quality, performance, features, an unrivaled bundle coupled with UV reactive aesthetic goodness, the Lanparty motherboard has been a sought after enthusiast motherboard looking for the complete package. Today I will be reviewing the Revision B release of the Lanparty PRO875 Canterwood enhanced motherboard. With even more features and additions added onto an already solid Revision A release, the PRO875B is not an update to correct problems, but is a release to make a great product even better. bit-news Shuttle Zen XPC (ST62K) @ Bit Tech [Mar-01-04] (0 Comments) Don’t let the not-brilliant gaming performance put you off this compact package, it is the only weakness in an otherwise exceptional product. If you want a system that offers an outstanding combination of looks, subtlety, performance and absolute silence look no further (can you say HTPC??!). Make no mistakes, a system that can silence a P4 2.4c to the point of needing a glance at the LED on the front to tell if it’s on, deserves praise... Zalman CNPS7000A-Alcu Review @ Crazymodders.be [Feb-29-04] (0 Comments) When you take the socalled Flower Heatsink (FHS) out of the package, you immediately notice that all 130 fins are very thin and therefor very bendable/breakable. So handle with care at all times! Of the 65 fins on each side, 19 are made out of copper while the others are made out of grey aluminum. This mix of 2 different materials, and therefor different colors, doesn't only look good, it also helps to reduce the manufacturing costs. After all, copper is cheaper than aluminum which makes this hybrid version about 10€ cheaper than the full copper version. Black IceMat 2 Mouse Pad Review @ GruntvillE.com [Feb-28-04] (0 Comments) I have now used the ICEMAT for 6 months, and it still remains my favorite mousing surface. My Black ICEMAT is still in perfect shape and shows no signs of wear, even after traveling to many out-of-state LANs. In the review of the original ICEMAT, my chief complaint was the small size. At 10 x 8.3, the ICEMAT was small. When gaming, I would occasionally fall off the edge of the ICEMAT, which is a huge disadvantage while playing fast-paced online games. Once again, a company has listened to their customers. The makers of ICEMAT developed the new Black ICEMAT 2, and of course, they made it HUGE! Mitron HDD Vibration Damper Kit Review @ Crazymodders.be [Feb-25-04] (0 Comments) The silicon bars are easy to install to the hard drive, just screw them on. But then, if you want to put the hard disk (with the vibration damper on it) into your 5.25” bay, you’ve got to push so hard that even the paint on the inside of my drive cage came off. Also pay attention to the type of case you’ve got, because with some cases it's possible that the hard drive now blocks a part of the motherboard thus making some connectors inaccessible. Logitech MX 900 Bluetooth Wireless Mouse Review @ LAN Addict [Feb-24-04] (0 Comments) The folks over at Logitech have sent us another product our way for evaluation, this time it includes the rapid growing wireless standard, Bluetooth. Does their MX 900 Bluetooth Wireless Mouse have what it takes? Check out the review on LAN Addict! ATI Radeon 9600 XT Review @ Ascully.com [Feb-23-04] (0 Comments) We all know what the latest and greatest graphics cards are capable of doing. We get to look at a lot of different solutions here at Ascully.com and one thing we have noticed is that you definitely get what you pay for. That's what our reviews like to show. Today we are strictly concentrating on a mid range card. We have not looked at many of these cards. We tend to stick to the higher end of things, but more and more this price bracket of graphic solution is becoming just the thing to stick in our machines to play those demanding games. As you all know we have a great relationship with the masters of PC graphicdom, ATI, and I was thrilled when a shiny new RADEON 9600XT landed on my doorstep just the other day. Let's take a look at what some are calling the second coming of Christ for those who worship mid priced graphic cards DFI LANParty PRO875B Motherboard Review @ PCstats.com [Feb-19-04] (0 Comments) When we reviewed the DFI LANParty NF2 Ultra B motherboard earlier we didn't really know what to expect. We had heard a lot of good things about it and not only did it turn out to be well equipped and full of extra's, it's also extremely fast and overclocks like nothing we've ever seen before. The LANParty PRO875B motherboard comes with a HighPoint IDE RAID controller, Intel CSA Gigabit LAN and 5.1 audio. If that's not enough for you the board also has five PCI slots and an 8x AGP socket. While the i875P officially doesn't support 400 MHz based processors, DFI claim that the board can support any Socket478 Pentium 4 or Celeron processor. The four DIMM slots can handle up to 4GB of ECC/Non-ECC PC3200 DDR RAM. Vantec Iceberq 4 Pro Review @ Extension Tech [Feb-14-04] (0 Comments) Aftermarket GPU-cooler designers have to find a balance between noise, cost, and size. Vantec's Iceberq 4 Pro tries to meet these requirements with style, but can this small heatsink / fan combination outperform the larger G4-VGA offering from Thermaltake? Vantec AeroFlow 2 Socket-A HSF @ COC [Feb-11-04] (0 Comments) For the past year or so, heatsinks have virtually halted in design. This could be from one or more reasons, but more than likely a result of heatsink design reaching its full potential in effective cooling. Since the late 90's heatsinks have been the norm to use for cooling video cards, CPUs, chipsets, etc. They have also made huge strides with different phasing of materials such as low-grade aluminum to high-grade copper. Its kind of interesting actually, but every once in awhile a different kind of heatsink will come along that is just plain worth your hard earned dough. ClubOC gained most of its popularity from thorough heat-sink-fan reviews, and once again we are going to go back to our roots and give you a glance at a pretty nice piece of equipment from Vantec, The Aeroflow 2... DFI LAN Party Pro875B @ COC [Feb-06-04] (0 Comments) CMOS Reloaded is probably the single biggest bios improvement I've seen since manufacturers first started supporting Overclockers. CMOS Reloaded is simply a memory bank for your favorite settings. The latest revision gives you 4 memory presets that you can program and name. This is incredibly handy when overclocking. If you get to the point where you have to clear the bios with the reset jumper, your settings are still saved. Instead of going through each and every setting again, you just reload your favorite settings, and in seconds you are back up and running. Enermax Noisetaker 475W PSU @ Bit Tech [Feb-02-04] (0 Comments) All and all I would say this new Noisetaker line of power supplies does a good job of continuing Enermax's reputation for solid power solutions for the next level of PC platforms. I would strongly recommend one of these if you are planning to build a new system using either the Athlon64 or P4 Prescott in the near future, perhaps not so much for replacing a power supply in an existing AthlonXP or low end P4 system unless carrying your PSU into your next system is paramount in your mind... Logitech Cordless MX Duo Review @ GruntvillE.com [Feb-02-04] (0 Comments) The keyboard and mouse can play a large part in home theaters when available but are not necessary. You can run an HTPC from the remote when its set up correctly but if you plan on doing any web surfing or game playing on your HTPC then it’s mandatory to have them both. Logitech also sent their Cordless Click Plus mouse which is a less expensive option to the MX700 with the same great performance but minus some of the nicer features Flexiglow FX Gamepad @ Crazymodders.be [Feb-01-04] (0 Comments) The Gamepad is connected to your computer by means of a USB-Cable. The cable has a reasonable length so it's unlikely that it's going to fall out short. The problem however is the fact that, now that everyone has a wireless mouse and keyboard you've still got a frigging mousepad with a wire ... After plugging the USB-Cable into the computer the LEDs of the Gamepad started to blink for a couple of seconds, when they had stopped blinking I new the mousepad was succesfully installed and ready for use! Razer Boomer Speed 2100 Mouse Review @ COC [Jan-29-04] (0 Comments) Razer is back! They have a new web site and a new product line with a rebirth of the Boomslang mouse. In April 2001 we took a look at the Razer BoomSlang 2000, a mouse that had no comparison at the time, and truthfully still doesn’t. That is of course, unless you happen to take a look at the latest creation from Razer, the BoomerSpeed. The new "Boomer" product line has two models. The first one is called the Boomer Control which is 1400 DPI (for the control freaks) and the other is the Boomer Speed which is 2100 DPI. We'll be taking a look at the Boomer Speed today. Wedding proposal mod! @ Bit Tech [Jan-28-04] (0 Comments) So... I decided last month it was time to make my relationship with my girlfriend of 5 years official. An earlier plot of mine to propose to her had been thwarted when she began to suspect something, so on the train one day in December the following idea hit me: change gears and somehow incorporate a mod into the proposal. I envisioned making an all white PC with "bridal" accents for her, and using that as a visual aid for the proposal. I planned out all the stuff I was thinking on the train and got to work. DFI 865PE Infinity Motherboard Review @ COC [Jan-27-04] (0 Comments) DFI has quickly made a name for themselves as a producer of top quality, enthusiast motherboards. DFI has been in the motherboard business for quite a while, but they have just recently started motherboards for the mainstream overclocking crowd. Their LAN Party series of motherboards have taken the overclocking community by storm. DFI has another series of boards that are a little less known, the infinity series. What exactly is the Infinity series? Well if you open the LAN Party spec page and the infinity spec page and compare them, you will see that their spec sheets are identical. This board is for the people that want the performance of the LAN Party series, but don't want the LAN Party package. Check out the DFI 865PE Infinity, over at ClubOC! An Insight into Reservoirs: An Innovatek and CritiCool Experience @ Tekcache [Jan-25-04] (0 Comments) With the rise of water-cooling in the modding community, companies are constantly producing new designs that bring something new to the field. One of the components of a water-cooled rig is often a reservoir and today, we show you 2 designs from some top names in the industry, CritiCool's WaterPlant and Innovatek's Tank-o-Matic. XTrac's monster-sized mouse pad @ envynews.com [Jan-25-04] (0 Comments) XTrac’s Hammer mouse pad has become a very nice addition to my desk that I don’t plan on replacing any time soon. The large surface area has allowed me to drop the sensitivity level and work much more accurately with larger, more comfortable motions. The thin profile has reduced wrist strain considerably as my wrist is no longer flangeed up uncomfortably due to a raised surface. The surface is slick and nearly frictionless, and responds well to aftermarket items made to reduce friction even further. DFI LAN Party NFII Ultra B Review @ COC [Jan-22-04] (0 Comments) Our very own Andy T. just posted his in-depth review and overclocking tutorial of the DFI LAN Party NFII Ultra B motherboard. Even though we just reviewed the first version of this board last August, this is far from a simple revision and repackage. This review explores all the great features of this board, including it's ability to run at 260 FSB stable. That's right, NFII Ultra at 260FSB! We were also surprised to find a completely new board design. When we reviewed the original last July, we gave it a glowing review. How did DFI improve on this well received enthusiast board? Find out here at ClubOC! Black Icemat Review @ HardExtreme.org [Jan-21-04] (0 Comments) I gotta say that I’m amazed. The IceMat is impressive in the looks department. The IceMat marketing team has really studied what is “cool” in the marketplace. Classic Black is given a makeover with the frosted glass overlay, and the steamy result oozes sex appeal. It will scream skill and class when you pull it out of your bag of tricks for that intensive LAN party. Take one last look. She’s a real beauty, BUT DON’T DROP IT! or you will be chasing shiny shards of glass with your dustpan. Dell by Altec Lansing ADA 745 @ LAN Addict [Jan-12-04] (0 Comments) Altec Lansing has been making speaker systems for PCs since 1990. They've been making other types of speaker systems since 1941. With all of their experience, you expect them to make good products. Today, I'm going to take a look and a listen to a speaker system Altec Lansing made for Dell Computers, the ADA 745. Tyan Thunder K8QS S4882 4P @ AMDboard [Jan-08-04] (3 Comments) After the Thunder K8-4 S4880, Tyan is on the way to release not one but two new motherboards which are both perfect candidate for powerful rackmount servers. The first one S2881, is a dual-Opteron with two Broadcom® Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports and integrated ATI® RAGE™ XL graphics controller, while second, Thunder K8QS S4882, has two independent PCI-X buses, Dual-channel Ultra320 SCSI, Broadcom® BCM5704C dual-channel Gigabit Ethernet controller and ATI® RAGE™ XL graphics controller. With the addition of this two new Opteron motherboards to the list of 28 already known, added to the smashing release of the Athlon 64 3400+, there is not a shadow of a doubt that year 2004 is starting extremely well for Sunnyvale founder AMD... HIS Excalibur Radeon 9600XT @ LAN Addict [Jan-07-04] (0 Comments) Hightech Information System Ltd was established in 1987 and is currently one of the largest graphics card companies in Hong Kong. Most of us in the US have never heard of HIS, however, although that should change this year. Today, I'll be looking at the 128MB version of the HIS Excalibur Radeon 9600XT. 1347 results. New search. |
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